Could Never Imagine
by StarOfFeanor
Summary: The war is over Annabeth chose to leave camp to allow her soul to heal, leaving a distraught Percy behind. Soon enough though the girls at camp are coming-on to the twice savior of Olympus. Percy however has no intention of finding a new girlfriend. So how will he get them to leave him be? It's a good thing Nico is around. Percico *Note-Will be boy-boy, if you don't like don't read
1. Chapter 1

**Note- This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fan-fiction. I intend to update as often as I am able but I don't know how often that will be. But I can promise at least two chapters a week. Hopefully I will be able to update faster than that but I don't want to promise something I can't deliver on.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes Of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

"I love you Percy, I always will. I swear on the river Styx I will come back when I can." Annabeth gave me a sad smile as thunder crashed across the sky, sealing her oath. She had tears streaming down her face as she walked away into the morning sun. Away from Camp Half Blood, away from the Gods, away from me.

Watching her walk down Half-Blood Hill alone, it felt as though I had a hole in my chest. I could never have imagined I'd see the day that Annabeth needed to go where I could not follow. I had followed her to the Underworld, into the labyrinth, even into Tartarus itself. I had come to believe that there was nothing that would ever separate us again. I should have known better.

Aphrodite had promised to make my love life interesting. I guess surviving countless quests, two wars, and a trip though the darkest pit of Hell hadn't been enough yet.

Annabeth needed space. She needed time to heal her soul. And she couldn't do it here, with me. There were too many memories around us. For nearly every painful experience in her life, I had been at her side. To help her, support her, to love her. But The Second Giant War had caused a rift that was just too deep.

_Flashback_

Nico, Rayna, and Coach Hedge had arrived with the Athena Parthenos in time to stop the camps from destroying each other and Rayna had managed to get the Romans to back down.

They were just in time too. While we were busy fighting the giants in Greece, Gaia had sent an army of monsters to attack Camp Half-Blood. The two armies combined their might and destroyed the invading forces.

But the death toll had been high, very high. The loss of Malcolm and Rayna had left both camps reeling. But the death of Leo left the biggest hole in the heart of the seven of us.

Leo had given his life to stop Gaia from rising. He had used every last particle of strength in his body in order to bring Porphyrion to his knees. Hades had delivered the killing blow to the giant king but not before Porphyrion had gotten his revenge. His spear had pierced through the chest of the son of Hephaestus.

With Leo's final breath he requested that the remaining seven free Calypso. He entrusted his astrolabe to Jason.

Chiron had already authorized the quest, but had requested that we wait. He needed our help rebuilding the camps.

The younger demigods looked up to us. And with so many dead, they needed all the help they could get. And so Piper, Jason, Hazel, Frank, and I agreed to wait a little longer. I hadn't noticed at the time that Annabeth had remained silent.

ΩΩΩ

I felt restless. I had abandoned Calypso once; I didn't like making her wait longer than she already had. When she had cursed me, I realized just how terribly I had treated her. She had saved my life and I had left her. Sure, I had asked that she be freed but I had never made sure that the gods had kept their promise.

So I put all of my effort into helping to rebuild the camp. The sooner we finished the sooner we could go save one of the friends I had let down. I had thought everything was going well.

I failed to notice when Annabeth started to pull away from everyone.

I knew that she had been more introverted since Tartarus, but I didn't think to say anything. I knew that I had been doing the same thing. I tried to be open and trusting like I used to, but I had seen too much. I still woke up in a cold sweat most night. Dreams for demigods were never good, but I would gladly trade my memories of that place for the confusing nerve racking glimpses of the future I used to see.

We still spoke but it was different. It was casual. We stopped talking about the future, about things that matter to us. Eventually we only really spoke about how the re-construction was going. Even then, where she once would have been going on about architecture, she was strangely quiet.

It had been about a month after the final battle before Annabeth came to talk to me. I was in my cabin just getting ready to collapse into bed when I heard a knock on the door.

I opened to door to reveal the girl I loved, leaning against the door jam. I looked at her and couldn't help but notice that she didn't look very good. Her blond hair was a mess but it was her eyes that caught my attention. Her beautiful gray eyes that I've always loved so much were bloodshot and filled with tears. I immediately felt more awake.

"Hey seaweed brain," Annabeth said with a weak smile. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, come on in." I stepped aside and closed the door behind her. She seemed nervous and unsure. Annabeth was always so strong and determined in everything. She glanced at me and started pacing around the room.

After a few minutes of watching her, waiting for her to say something, I stepped into her path and she looked up at me with broken eyes. The next thing I knew I had wrapped her in my arms.

Silent sobs were shaking her shoulders. I sat down on my bed and pulled her into my lap. She balled her hands into my t-shirt, pulling strength from my presence. I held her close to me and rubbed my hands in comforting circles on her back. After a while she calmed down but she didn't pull away.

We sat together in silence as I waited for her to find the words she needed. After a long time she finally spoke. "I'm... I'm leaving Percy, I can't stay here. I... I need to go away for a while."

I was surprised to say the least but I knew that like everything the beautiful daughter of Athena did, she would have her reasons. She was my opposite in so many ways. Whereas I was impulsive and did things without thinking of the consequences, Annabeth thought through everything. It was why I would, and had, followed her through everything. "Ok," She looked at me with surprise in her eyes, "where are we going?"

She flinched and pulled away from me. I frowned in confusion as I waited for her to go on. She fiddled with her fingers, avoiding eye contact with me. "You... you don't understand Percy. I have to leave and... And I am going alone."

I sat there, trying to figure out what she meant. We had been through hell and back together, literally. Why would she think that when she left I would not be with her? It didn't make any sense. "What do you mean Wise-Girl? Of course I will come with you. We're a team. Whatever you need to do, I will be there to help you."

Her tears started to fall again. "Percy. I... I know that you will always be there when I need you..." I didn't like the sound of that. I reached out to hold her hand but she pulled it away before I could. My heart started to constrict. "I need to leave, and I need you to stay here." She looked at me and I felt the air rush out of my lungs.

"Annabeth what... what are you talking about?"

"I can't stay here Percy. There are too many reminders. I can't stand to be here anymore. If I don't leave soon I'm going to lose it completely. I can't deal with all of this anymore. If I'm going to heal, I need to leave this world behind for a while. I... We need a break."

I looked into her eyes and I could see that it was true. The eyes that had always been filled with such determination and strength were broken. We had all seen so much, too much in fact. But her eyes bore the signs of one who could no longer survive with what she had seen.

I knew in my heart that I should have seen this sooner. I had been so busy rebuilding and trying to survive the after effects of the war, I had failed to see that the one I loved needed me.

My thought must have been clear on my face. Annabeth grabbed my hand, "Percy, this is not your fault. It has nothing to do with you."

I felt my heart break as my own tears began to fall. "Please Annabeth, don't go."

"I... I just need to escape; I need to be away from everything. I need to go somewhere where the memories of blood and death don't haunt my every thought." She looked at me with desperation in her eyes, begging me to understand.

I could hardly stand the pain. I had seen and done so many impossible things, been through so much, survived so many monster attacks, but nothing had ever hurt me the way that this did. But when I looked into her eyes I knew that this was the only choice she had. I felt as though I ripped out my own heart as I nodded.

I pulled her back to my and held onto her as tightly as I could. Tears streamed down my face as she whispered in my ear. "I promise I will come back. I love you so much."

I struggled to find my voice. "When will you leave?"

"I already talked to Chiron, I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

I looked into her eyes and pulled her in for a kiss, knowing in my heart that this would be the last time I would hold the one I loved for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note- This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fan-fiction. I intend to update as often as I am able but I don't know how often that will be. But I can promise at least two chapters a week. Hopefully I will be able to update faster than that but I don't want to promise something I can't deliver on.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes Of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

"Percy?"

I jumped and looked around. Jason and Nico stood beside me, blending in with the evening shadows. _Wait... Evening? _I looked at the sky and sure enough, I could see the stars. I had been standing here all day.

"Percy," Jason called again bringing my attention back to him, "Its dinner time."

I realized that I hadn't eaten all day. But the thought of food made my stomach turn. "I'm not hungry." I forced myself to turn from the last place I had seen her and walk away, intending to go hide in my cabin. By now the whole camp would know that Annabeth was gone. Even thinking her name caused me a flash of pain. I could not deal with all the whispers and stares that would be sure to follow me.

I felt a hand on my elbow and turned around, prepared to tell Jason that I was fine, just tired. The words however, died on my lips when I saw that the arm belonged to the son of Hades.

I had never known Nico to willingly initiate contact with anyone before, especially me. Now that my brain was sort of functioning again I was actually surprised Nico had approached me at all. He usually avoided me like the plague. I looked from his hand to his face. Dark brown eyes locked with my own. He quickly broke eye contact and pulled his hand away as he stepped back.

Looking at the ground the entire time, Nico spoke. "You haven't eaten since yesterday," My brain randomly wondered as to how he knew that before he continued. "I know you don't want food but you need to eat something."

Annabeth was gone and it felt as though she had taken everything good in my whole world with her; food was not of any interest to me. If it had been anyone else I would have snapped at them. However it was Nico.

I really wanted to get to know him better. I spent endless amounts of time trying to talk to the kid only to have him continually push me away. Like Calypso, I felt like I had been a very poor friend to Nico. Yet I never seemed to be able to do right by him. I would be talking to him and it would seem as though we would be getting along and then suddenly he would be mad without any explanation. He said that he no longer blamed me for Bianca's death but I still blamed myself. I had failed to protect his sister the way I had promised I would.

He had saved me on multiple occasions, more than anyone except maybe Annabeth. Most days I thought he hated me. Then he would do something that proved he did consider me his friend, like worry about it if I tried to skip out on dinner.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I really did not want to go to the dining pavilion but if it would make Nico happy then I would do it. "Fine, let's go."

ΩΩΩ

Nico's POV

It was worse than I had predicted. As soon as we walked into the hall, all noise stopped. I tried to ignore the eyes that automatically turned to us. The entire camp was buzzing with the news. Everyone kept stealing glances at Percy, trying to see how he was handling Annabeth's absence.

In the life of a demigod few things are unchanging. Annabeth and Percy's relationship was considered one of the most stable things in camp. When I had first heard about her leaving, I didn't believe it. When she left without him, the whole camp had been turned upside-down.

We grabbed our food and waited in line for the chance to burn some to the gods.

As we waited I looked at Percy. He was doing his best to hide his emotions but he was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve. The fire and determination that always burned in his beautiful sea-green eyes had gone out. His black hair was even messier than usual. He looked like hell. I felt my heart contract at the sight. He had always been so steady, but Annabeth's absence had definitely taken its toll.

I had watched him for most of the day, standing on the hill at the edge of camp. He didn't move an inch. Not when she walked away, not when she was out of sight, I believe he would have stood there till the harpies came if it wasn't for Jason pulling me with him insisting that we needed to bring Percy to dinner. Not that I resisted much. I had been quite worried about him.

Percy usually ate enough to feed a small family so to see him miss breakfast and lunch was unnerving. The fact that he was intending on skipping dinner made me even more nervous for the son of the sea god.

Percy stepped up to the brazier, "To Hermes, please keep her safe on her travels."

I was surprised by that. Usually we simply burnt food to our immortal parent. But I understood. Annabeth was traveling, and Hermes is the god of travelers.

Percy walked away to sit at the Poseidon table. As the only living half-blood child of Poseidon he sat alone. I desperately wished that we were allowed to sit at different tables. Percy looked like he could use the company. I scraped food into the fire for my father and walked over to the Hades table.

Throughout dinner I kept stealing glances at Percy. He didn't eat. He was just pushing the food around on his plate. Eventually he looked up and I made sure to catch his eye. I glared pointedly at his untouched meal and he looked down. I could practically hear his sigh from across the room and he raised a fork-full to his mouth.

By the end of supper he had eaten about half of his small plate of dinner. He skipped out on the campfire and headed straight for his cabin. Having no interest in either singing or socializing, I chose to do the same. I didn't like that he was so uninterested in food but I did understand. Olympus knows, I know how heartbreak makes it difficult to eat sometimes.

I blushed slightly at the though. Percy needed me, and so I would do my best to be there for him as I always had been. I would be the friend that he needed me to be right now.

No one knew the whole story. But everyone knew that Annabeth had left, and only an absolute imbecile wouldn't be able to see that Percy was heartbroken. I hated to see him in pain, hated to see what Annabeth had done to him. Percy was too good, too noble; to deserve the pain he was clearly enduring.

But I couldn't stop the little voice at the back of my head from whispering, maybe now you have a chance.

Yes Percy may have technically been single, but he was heartbroken. Besides, Percy never gives up on people. It's one of the things that I love the most about him, which means that I knew Percy would not forget her and move on. Besides, heartbroken and fiercely loyal were not my biggest obstacles. One thing I knew without a doubt, Percy was strait as an arrow.


	3. Chapter 3

*****Note- I do apologize in advance. This story will have a slow beginning. I want a realistic story, so heartbroken Percy will be mopping around for a while. I will update as fast as I am able.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

It took me hours to finally fall asleep.

I woke up exceptionally groggy. For a moment I couldn't remember as to why I felt like I had been hit by a passing bus.

When I opened my eyes however the previous day came slamming into my mind. Annabeth, I grimaced at the pain. My chest ached with the knowledge that she was gone. I couldn't get up and face the day knowing that she wouldn't be at camp.

There was no way in Hades I was willing to repeat last night's fiasco at breakfast.

Dinner last night had been a living nightmare. The whispers and glances served as a constant reminder that the one I loved most wasn't there. I couldn't face the campfire. I had come directly back to my cabin and spent most of the night either crying or feeling completely hollow. I don't know when I had passed out but the sun had already started to rise.

I was lying on my bed looking at the ceiling, unable to find the energy or will to get up. My brain couldn't seem to process that she was really gone. That Annabeth, _Don't think of her name... _I winced, was who knows where doing who knows what, and that I would not see her for who knows how long.

I was lost in thought. I do not know long I laid there before I was interrupted by a knock on the door. I glanced at the clock on my bed side table. It read 6:00 pm. My brain started to wonder as to how I kept loosing the day. That was twice in as many days.

Someone knocked again but I decided to ignore it. I couldn't face the camp right now, not like this.

"Percy? ... Percy, open the door already." I groaned, as Piper continued to speak. "Percy you have been in there all day. Come on its time for dinner."

I laid there trying to decide my best option. I could continue to lay here or I could open the door and tell them that I am not hungry. Whether or not that was a lie, I didn't know. I knew I usually would be starving as I had only had one meal in the past two days but the thought of food was really unappealing. Dinner last night turned my stomach. I could barely choke down the food. If I hadn't thought that Nico would force the food down my throat, I wouldn't have eaten anything.

"Come on man, unlock the door already." Jason called.

I hadn't realized he was out there, at least that made my decision easier. If I opened the door he would be able to drag me to the dining pavilion. So I decided to continue ignoring them.

I hoped they would leave me alone soon. I really did not feel like talking. The knocking finally stopped. I figured they had gone to dinner without me, until I saw a movement in my peripheral vision.

I jumped a little as I saw Nico step out of the shadows. "Get up Percy. It's time for dinner."

I sighed. What good was it to have a lock on the door if your friend could shadow travel into your cabin whenever he felt like it. "In case the locked door was to subtle for you, I would rather be left alone."

I felt a little bad about being rude but I wasn't in the mood to play nice. However my words seemed to aggravate him rather than offend him. He walked over and pulled the pillow out from under my head.

"That's nice, now get up."

I was shocked. Why would Nico care if I skipped a few meals or chose to lock myself in my cabin? "Why do you care so much?"

Nico looked away from me and grumbled, "I don't."

"I find that hard to believe. This is the second time that you've come to bring me to dinner." I shook my head and lay back down. "I am fine Nico. I'm not hungry. You might as well go without me because I am not coming and there is nothing you can do to make me."

Nico raised an eyebrow at me, "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes, I do."

Nico smirked at me. "Okay, so be it."

Before I had time to react Nico grabbed my mattress and flipped it, and me, onto the floor. I jumped up and turned to face him. "What the hell Nico!"

"Good, now that you're up, you have two choices. You can either go, get changed, and come willingly, or I can just shadow travel you there as you are. It's completely up to you."

I just gaped at him. I wanted to call his bluff on it, but the look he was giving me told me that he was not joking. I debated taking a swing at him but I had a feeling that he would kick my ass. I may have been angry, but regardless of what people say about me, I am not an idiot.

"Fine!" I grabbed my clothes and went to the bathroom.

I quickly changed my clothes and ran a brush through my hair. All it took was a quick glance in the mirror to tell me that I looked as bad as I felt.

I stepped out of the bathroom to see that Nico still had that smug look on his face. When he saw me looking at him he raised an eyebrow, "Ready to go?"

I rolled my eyes and walked past him out of the cabin. Piper and Jason were waiting for us.

"Are you both okay?" Piper asked nervously, "We heard a crash and then someone yelling."

"That was just Percy being an idiot," Nico replied.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe him. "You're the one who flipped my bed over!"

Nico smirked at me. "You are the one who said, and I quote, there is nothing I can do to make you come to dinner."

"That wasn't a challenge!" Jason and Piper started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Come on fish-face, it's time for dinner." It took all of my limited self-control not to punch him out.

ΩΩΩ

Like yesterday, when we got the dinning pavilion all eyes turned to me. I briefly considered retreating back to my cabin but Nico must have read my mind. "I would just drag you back." I glared at him and walked away.

After I had burnt my offering to the gods I went and sat down at the Poseidon table. I thought yesterday had been a nightmare. I guess I should have known that hiding in my cabin was only adding more fuel to the fire. Not only did I have to put up with the whispers and eyes watching me, but I had to put up with all of the people who came to give me their sympathies.

I must have told people a dozen times that she would be coming back. Either they did not believe me, or they just wanted to ignore me. At least I discovered that I really was hungry today. I managed to eat my entire dinner between the members of the rumor mill coming up to me. I know they were just looking for more information on why she left. I had not interest in telling them. That was not my place, it was hers.

I tried to sneak away after dinner but Nico caught up with me right outside of my cabin.

I tired to stay calm but I also still really wanted to hit him.

"Are you happy now? I ate dinner. Now, will you leave me alone?"

Nico avoided my gaze. "Yes I saw that, I was there after all." He bit his lip and looked at me, "I am sorry about everyone bugging you. I didn't mean for that to happen."

I exploded, "What did you think would happen?" He glared at me and looked away.

_Dam it, why can't this kid ever have a normal conversation with me. One where he isn't trying to help me? It would be so much easier to be mad at him if I didn't know he was trying to be nice. I would be able to yell at Jason without feeling like a jerk._

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Listen, I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help me. I do appreciate you guys looking out for me but I just really want to be alone."

"I know how you feel." My eyes locked with his, "After I lost Bianca... I wanted nothing to do with anyone." I winced at the mention of his sister. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I told you before Percy. I don't blame you for that anymore. But that's not the point. The point is, I wanted to be alone, and so I left. But being alone didn't help me. All being alone did was give the pain more time to fester. I didn't start to heal till I found a reason to move on. I'm not an idiot, I know that you're not going to wake up tomorrow morning and be fine. Annabeth left, and that hurts you. But I know you are strong enough to get through this. And fortunately for you, you have friends that are here to make sure that you don't turn in to a useless mess. Now get some sleep, because whether you like it or not, I will be here tomorrow morning to pry your butt out of bed."

With that said he disappeared into the shadows. I had never heard Nico say that much before. I had begun to think one of the powers of Hades must be the one sentence reply. I was surprised by how much Nico seemed to care. He said that he didn't care and Poseidon knows I believed that most days. But Nico truly was a good friend. He always seemed to be there for me when I was at my lowest.

I stood there like an idiot for a few minutes before I went inside. I fixed the mattress and fell into bed and tried my best to fall asleep. I had no doubt that Nico meant what he said, if I didn't go to breakfast tomorrow he would be there flip my bed over again.


	4. Chapter 4

*****Note- Yay! a double update. I apologize for the slow beginning. **

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

"Wake up Percy."

I moan and pulled the pillow over my head. "Five more minutes mom." I was so exhausted. It had taken me hours to fall asleep last night. My brain was not ready to process anything yet. Even my mom's voice sounded weird to me.

"Uhhhhh... I'm not your mom Percy." I sat up and looked around. I was in my cabin at camp. I looked over to see a very amused son of Hades standing over me.

I fell out of bed, "Holy Hera! Dam it Nico! Give a guy a heart attack, why don't you!"

Nico just raised an eyebrow, "Time for breakfast Percy."

I groaned and got to my feet. "Seriously Nico, you do not have to do this every morning." It had been almost a month and a half since **she** left. I was doing my best to not think of her name. The slightest mention of her and it still felt as though someone had stabbed a knife into my chest.

Yet, every morning without fail, Nico would be there to wake me up and make sure I went to breakfast. The first week had been horrible. I left my cabin for meals but that was it. But after the first few weeks I began to see that my life was not over. Eventually I got over the immediate pain of her absence and remembered she was not gone forever. She would return as soon as she was able, and I would be here waiting for her when she did. I had things I needed to do. I needed to start training again. Besides, just because I had been out of commission did not mean that there was no more work to be done.

The camp was looking worlds better than it had a few months ago. Chiron predicted that we would be finished the reconstruction within a month.

"What can I say; I take my job very seriously."

I rolled my eyes. While I was in what my friends so kindly named, my zombie phase, I wasn't very cooperative. You draw a sword one time, just once, and suddenly you're a danger. After that the only people who were willing to wake me were Jason and Nico. Jason usually stood in the doorway and yelled at me till I woke up, which was usually followed by me throwing whatever was in reach at him.

Nico was much more creative. He usually started by stealing my blankets or pillow. When I was being very uncooperative he would flip my bed over. Once, when I was in a truly foul mood, after he flipped the bed I tried to go back to sleep. Not my best plan. He grabbed my arm and shadow traveled us directly to the dining pavilion.

After that highly embarrassing morning, I made sure to get up when he told me to. And as such, the task of human alarm clock had fallen to him. I had a feeling that enjoyed his task far more than he let on.

"I'm beginning to think that you just enjoy causing suffering." I looked at him with a fake pout on my face.

Nico looked away but I could see that he was trying his best to keep a straight face. "Just get ready fish-face."

I called after him as he left, "Sadist." He looked back at me and smirked. I shook my head and went to get ready.

ΩΩΩ

After breakfast, I met the others outside the cabins. "So where are we working today." I found myself in a fairly good mood this morning. Not only was it sunny out, but they had served blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

Hazel gave me a little wave as Jason spoke. "We might as well wait for Frank and Nico to show up. That way I don't have to repeat myself."

"Oh crap, here comes Jenn." Piper muttered.

There was a collective groan as a perky blonde ran up to us. Jenn was a new camper. She had arrived only a few weeks before the end of the second war.

The final battle against Gaia's army had taken place here at camp. Nico had been instrumental in the defeat. He had really stepped up to the plate. Not only had Nico lead camp half-blood into battle, he had single handily taken on an entire battalion of monsters. Everyone who was here claimed that watching him gave our fighters the courage they needed. His efforts saved the lives of countless demigods.

Ever since that battle Nico had earned the respect and admiration of the camp, especially a certain blue eyed daughter of Demeter. It didn't matter what Nico said to her about not being interested. She followed him everywhere, like a particularly devoted stalker. He ditched her at any and every opportunity.

"Hey guys, have any of you seen Nico?"

"Um... no, sorry, not today. Why don't you go and check the beach? Maybe he decided to go for an early morning swim?" Hazel answered with an innocent look in her eyes.

"Okay, thanks Haze!" Hazel winced at the use of her nickname. Jenn smiled and headed to the beach to go find the object of her obsession.

There was a collective breath of relief when she left. None of use wanted to be around when she found him.

I chuckled and glanced at Hazel. "You know she really doesn't know him very well. Have you ever known Nico to go for a swim?"

"I enjoy swimming; I just don't do it particularly often as the water tends to drag me under. Son of Hades, remember?" Nico joined our group as Frank went over to stand with Hazel. "So why are we talking about my desire for a swim?"

Piper smirked at him, "Well if you're up to a swim you should head down to the beach. Your girlfriend is looking for you."

Nico looked like someone had just filled his cabin with pegasus dung; "I assure you she is not, has not, and will never be my girlfriend."

Jason and I looked at each other and that was it. Our entire group dissolved into a laughing fit. Frank and Hazel were holding onto each other. Piper was shaking uncontrollably and Jason had tears of laughter falling down his face. I had fallen to the ground, unable to stand.

"I'm... sorry Nico..." I managed to choke out, "Your face!" Nico looked like he was planning the best way to kill all five of us.

"Why don't you tell us what were up to today Grace." Nico spoke through clenched teeth.

We eventually managed to stop laughing but, really, his face had been priceless. I wish I had gotten a picture.

"Okay... okay. Sorry Nico, that was priceless. Piper, Frank, Hazel, the three of you are supposed to go help work on the coliseum. Percy and I are supposed to go help finish rebuilding the stables. Nico, you're supposed to go help harvest the strawberries."

"Percy, please switch with me."

I was surprised at the note of desperation in the ghost kings voice. "What's wrong Nico? I thought you didn't like the pegasus because they are skittish around you."

"I have no problem working with skittish horses if it means I don't have to go to the strawberry fields."

"I can't trade today Nico, Chiron asked me to go to the stables. One of the younger pegasus is being jumpy, Chiron asked me to try to calm him down. Besides, it's a beautiful day, what's wrong with berry picking."

"Jenn, she always works in the field."

"Fine Nico, I will trade you jobs." Jason started to laugh again, "I will tell Chiron, you and Percy head over to the stables."

Nico looked very relieved. I felt a little bit bad for laughing at him about her. I know how much he hates it. I couldn't be sure, but I believe he might have a secret girlfriend. He never seemed to look twice at any of the girls who tried to flirt with him. True none of them were as forward as Jenn, but even I am not as oblivious as he seems to be.

I tried to ask Jason if he knew if Nico had a crush on anyone. I told him my theory about a secret girlfriend but Jason didn't believe me. He just gave me a strange look and told me he thinks I am way off base.

Nico really isn't very open with anyone but he seems to get along with Jason the best. I try my hardest not to let that get to me but I really don't understand. I've been trying to be his friend for years, but he always shuts down. We've gotten a little closer over the last month and a half but he still seems to prefer to stay as far away from me as possible. Whenever I speak to him, to try to get to know him better, he closes off.

"Come on Percy. Stop day dreaming; let's head over to the stables." I smiled and nodded. We were about halfway there when we heard someone calling.

"Hey Neeks! Neeks wait up!" Jenn had clearly spotted us and was running to catch up.

"Crap, come on Percy, let's run."

"There's no point Nico, she will just continue to follow us." Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Neeks, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Where were you?"

"Avoiding you," Nico looked like he was already on his last nerve.

"That's not nice Neeks." Jenn pouted.

"I don't care if it was nice, it is the truth. And for the millionth time stop calling me Neeks."

"But that's your nickname silly. That is one of the things I like most about you Neeks, you're always so honest." I could see a tick beginning to develop in Nico's jaw. "So where are you heading today?"

Nico had a very smug look on his face as he answered, "Percy and I are working on the stables today."

"No way! Really? Me too!" Jenn looked as though she had just won the lottery. "Mr.D said that I should try working somewhere else for a change."

I have seen Nico face down monsters, titans, and nearly certain death, but I had never seen him look the way he did at that moment. "Di Immortals," he cursed.


	5. Chapter 5

*****Note- Finally, we are getting to the more interesting parts. It will be moving slowly but I decided we needed a fun scene. So this is for all of you. Please feel free to review.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Nico POV

"Hades, Zeus, Poseidon, Cupid, anyone, please help me." I could not believe this had happened. The one day that I believed that I was safe from the parasite known as Jenn and she just had to be working with me. I did not have the patience to put up with her today.

As soon as we got to the stables Percy left to go do his horse whispering thing, leaving me with the single most annoying person at camp.

"Isn't this great Neeks?" I internally winced at the idiotic nickname she had given me. Neeks makes one think of something cute and possibly fluffy. I was the son of Hades, God of the Underworld; I was **not **cute and fluffy. "We get to spend the whole day together, can you think of anything better than that?"

"How about the bubonic plague, world hunger, an eternity in the fields of punishment, anything really."

Jenn started to giggle. "You're so silly Neeks."

_I swear if she calls me Neeks one more time, I will impale her._

Rebuilding the stables was hard work. Fortunately that meant that I didn't have to speak to her too much. Unfortunately that meant that the day gotten hot very quickly.

Percy had managed to calm the little pegasus fairly easily. Of course, it always helps when your dad is Poseidon, which gives you the ability to speak horse. All the little guy needed was some attention. Once Percy had finished that task he came to help us re-shingle the new roof.

It was only a few hours later when Percy had apparently decided that it was too hot for him.

Jenn had been chattering non-stop, when she paused I had instantly sent a thank you to the gods for whatever had caused the unexpected silence.

That is, until I heard someone else speak.

"Oh my gods, Percy is so hot."

I looked up in confusion and saw Drew and a few of her cronies were staring at a spot a few feet to my left. I looked over and my breath caught in my throat.

There was Percy. He had removed his shirt and was using it to dry off his forehead. Drew was right. I had always known that Percy was incredibly attractive but without a shirt on, he was something else. I couldn't stop my eyes from raking down his bare chest. Sunlight glinted off of his tan, perfectly carved muscles.

I quickly forced myself to look away but I could feel a bright blush on my face. Luckily everyone else was far too busy ogling the shirtless son of the sea god to notice my discomfort. But of course, there is no such thing as good luck for the children of Hades.

"Nico are you okay? You look a little flushed."

_Oh please Zeus, kill me now._"I'm fine Percy." I prayed that he would drop it.

Of course not, "Are you sure? It's pretty hot out. Why don't we take a break?"

_Yes! An escape option, I can work with that. _"No I'm fine Percy. I want to keep working. Why don't you go take a break though?"

For a moment I thought that it worked. He stood up and I hoped that he was going to leave before I ended up doing something incredibly stupid.

The fates hate me.

Percy walked over and pulled me up. I only come up to Percy's chin which means that I had the perfect view of his bare chest.

I pulled back too quickly and ended up backing into Jenn. She screamed as she stumbled. I caught her by reflex before she could fall off the roof.

Jenn looked at me and I could litteraly see the moment she decided that she should kiss me. She leaned in and I panicked. I couldn't drop her or she would probably fall of the roof and die. Regardless of what people think of me, I am not a cold blooded killer.

"Holy Poseidon! Nico I am so sorry. Are you guys okay?"

I could never have imagined that I would find anything that would make me more uncomfortable than a shirtless Percy but I had sure as Hades found something. I quickly stood up pulling Jenn with me and pressing her into Percy's arms.

She looked a little upset about me pulling away from the almost kiss but she started to blush when she realized that Percy had automatically wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her.

"Gods Percy, that was so amazing!" Drew ran up to us fluttering her eyelashes at him. "You like, totally saved her life!" I rolled my eyes as she flirted with him.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows at her. "What are you talking about Drew? I didn't do anything. Nico is the one who saved her. I nearly got her killed." Percy turned back to Jenn and let her go. "Are you sure your alright?"

Jenn blushed and nodded. She looked over at me and smiled, "I am thanks to Neeks." She reached out to try and grab my hand. I glared at her and she dropped her hand.

"Come on, let's get off this roof. We should take a break." With that said, Percy climbed down the ladder.

ΩΩΩ

Percy's POV

The incident got around camp in record time, Drew was, after all, the queen of gossip. Of course the story wasn't even close to what happened. By dinner time I heard someone from the Hecate cabin telling her sibling that I had just happened to be walking by when I saw Jenn wobbling on the edge of the roof I had swooped in and caught her, and that if I had been half a second later and she would have died.

I've never understood rumours. A few of Jenn's friends had come to thank me. I told them that it was Nico who had saved her but they didn't believe me. I couldn't figure out as to why.

"Hey Romeo," Jason came up to walk beside me on our way to the dinning hall. "I heard all about your heroic save earlier."

I rolled my eyes at the son of Jupiter. "It wasn't me who saved her Jason, it was Nico."

"Oh I know. Nico told me the whole story a couple hours ago."

I was confused, "If you already know, can u please help me out? No one seems to believe me."

Jason started to laugh, "Ya, I would bet that they wouldn't."

"What are you talking about? "

Jason smiled at me and gave me something from his pocket. I took the peice of paper from him. I looked down and I felt my jaw drop. It was a picture of me, with my arms wrapped around Jenn's waist. I tried to think of something to say but my brain was not co-operating.

Jason seemed to understand what I wanted to know. "So it turns out one of Drew's friends had her camera on her. There are dozens of copies floating around camp."

I groaned and gave the picture back to Jason. This is just what I needed, "Please tell me that this is some kind of sick joke."

"Well even you have to admit that picture makes it look like you saved her. Come on, lets grab some food."

ΩΩΩ

Dinner was ridiculous. I barely had time to eat. Every few seconds someone would come up and tell me how heroic I was, or how romantic it looked when I saved her. I kept trying to convince people that Nico had saved her, not me, but they would just laugh it off and tell me I was being too modest.

I should have skipped the campfire, but apparently I'm an idiot. I had almost the whole Aphrodite cabin flocking around me. Drew was sitting beside me and kept scooting closer as the Apollo cabin sung. I kept moving away but it wasn't helping. By the end of the sing-along I was nearly halfway across the stands from where I had started.

Drew was looking at me, fluttering her eyelashes like I would melt at will. I was doing everything within my power to ignore her. I randomly wondered if this is how Nico felt around Jenn all the time. "So I've been thinking Perce." _Famous last words... _"I think that you should take me out."

My jaw dropped as I looked at her. I had to have misheard. The entire camp knew that my heart already belonged to someone. There is no way that anyone was that idiotic.

"It's ok Perce. I will say yes."

"No thank you Drew. I'm not interested."

Drew looked as though I had just spoken in a foreign language. She started to giggle and then rolled her eyes. "It's fine Perce. You don't need to pretend with me. It's been almost 2 months. It's time to move on." She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder, "I will help you forget all about her."

I jumped up and pulled away for her. "Three things Drew. One my name is Percy, not Perce. Two, I have absolutely no interest in you whatsoever. And three, don't touch me."

I ignored her pout and walked back to my cabin.


	6. Chapter 6

**I would like to say thank you to those of you who reviewed my story so far. This was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write. I knew what I wanted it to say, it was just getting it on paper that proved to be a challenge. I will try to have the 7****th**** chapter up in either about 3-4 hours or tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Enjoy. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy) eventually. Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes Of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy's POV

I was already up by the time Nico came in to wake me. He looked surprise but I couldn't really blame him. I was not exactly what anyone would call a morning person. Nico nodded at me and went to the dinning pavilion to grab a quick bite before Jenn could track him down.

Drew had really aggravated me last night.

I could understand why a child of Aphrodite may think enough time had passed for me to move on. They would be wrong of course, I would never move on, but that was beside the point. Honestly, even if I was going to date someone, why would I want to go out with her?

When I stepped out of my cabin I saw a blonde camper that I had never spoken to, sitting on my porch. I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion.

"Oh hey," She smiled at me. "How are you Percy?"

"Um, hello," I closed the door and started to walk towards the dinning pavilion. She jumped up and fell into step with me. I remembered that she was a daughter of Apollo but for the life of me I couldn't seem to remember her name. "I'm sorry; I don't seem to know your name."

"Oh," She looked a little hurt but she smiled at me again. "It's Colleen."

"Right, sorry," I looked at her and tried to figure out what she wanted. After a little bit I realized that she wasn't going to say anything. _I guess it's up to me then. _"So Colleen was there something that you needed?"

"Oh, right." She glanced at me and started to blush. Suddenly I had a bad feeling about this. "Umm, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime."

I frowned. I was right about it being bad, "Listen, I am sorry but I am not looking to date anyone right now."

She ducked her head, "Oh, okay. Nice talking to you..." She turned away and started walking back to the cabins.

_Well that was highly awkward._

I shook my head and went to grab breakfast.

ΩΩΩ

As I stood in line to burn my food to the Gods I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around to see a girl with bright red hair looking at me.

She smiled and without even an introduction asked, "Do you want to go out with me?"

My jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"

She giggled. "I said would you, like to go on a date with me?"

This had to be some kind of dumb joke. "No thank you, I am not looking for a relationship at the moment."

She shrugged, "Alright, see you around." With that she turned around and went to sit at the Iris table.

I stood there for a moment, to stunned to move. It wasn't like I hadn't been asked out since **she **left, but this wasn't normal. First Drew, then Colleen, then this daughter of Iris. Someone was playing with me, they had to be.

I came back to reality when I heard someone behind me clear their throat. I quickly burnt food to my father and to Hermes, as had become my habit, and went to sit at the Poseidon table.

Maybe it was just my imagination but there seemed to be a lot of girls looking at me. I certainly hoped it was just my imagination at least.

I sighed as two girls from the Aphrodite cabin walked by my table, looked at me, and started to giggle. _Maybe there is something on my face?_ But I had a feeling in my gut that it wasn't as simple as that.

I was just finishing my breakfast when Chiron came by the table. "Good morning Percy. You will be harvesting strawberries today."

"Okay, thank you Chiron."

He smiled at me and cantered off to go tell other campers their tasks for the day. I stood up and headed over to the field.

ΩΩΩ

The entire afternoon was a nightmare. I could never have imagined that I would be jealous of the way Jenn stalked Nico. But then again, Jenn's constant presence by his side made sure to keep any other girls at bay.

By the time I was done harvesting the strawberries I had been approached by a daughter of Hephaestus, two daughters of Apollo, a daughter of Hecate, and a son Hermes. All in all, it was turning out to be one of my least favorite days at camp.

I tried my best to be polite but I was getting very annoyed and I have never been very good at keeping my temper.

I had not managed to get any information out of the girls as they all made a hasty exit after I turned them down. The son of Hermes however was a little more accommodating.

_Flashback_

"There is a rumor going around camp that you said that you were ready to move on and forget about Annabeth."

I winced at the mention of her name. It felt like a knife to the heart.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring her up. I have no idea who started the rumor but if you would like, I can help you by telling everyone that it's not true."

I smiled at him, "Thank you, I would appreciate that. I have to ask though, not that I am not grateful for your honesty, but why didn't you run away like everyone else?"

He started to laugh, "Simple, I knew you would turn me down but I felt like I needed to at least give it a shot. I've had a crush on you since the Titan War." He waved at me and walked away.

_End Flashback_

It was a little strange but I felt far less awkward when the son of Hermes asked me out then when the girls did. Maybe it was simple because I had actually spoken to him a few times. I had seen the girls around camp but I had never spoken to any of them.

"Hey Percy," I groaned, _if one more person asks me out..._

"What do you want?"

"Wow, who rained on your day."

I looked over to see a highly amused daughter of Aphrodite, "Sorry Piper, I didn't know it you."

Piper chuckled, "That fun of day, hey?"

"You have no idea."

"Oh I might know more than you would think." I raised an eyebrow, silently asking her to continue. She smiled at me. "For example, I know that Drew is spreading a rumor around camp about you. I also know that several of my siblings are hoping that you are, in fact, looking for a new relationship."

"Drew..." I growled. _Why am I not surprised?_ "I guess I should have known that she wouldn't take rejection well."

Piper scoffed, "Tell me about it. I had to listen to her wine about it all night."

I sighed and rubbed my neck, if this was Drew's doing than it was only going to get worse. "I am really not looking forward to this."

"I don't blame you; Drew can be downright malicious when she wants to be."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "You know, you kinda suck at cheering people up."

"Tell me about it." Jason came running up behind us and put his arm around Pipers shoulders. Piper flushed and looked down for a moment. "I love you but Percy's right; you seriously lack in the cheering up department."

"I'm not that bad at it."

"Oh really, do you remember when Hazel lost the bracelet Frank gave her? And you told her to quit crying because she could just summon it to herself with a thought?"

"Hey that worked!"

"That's not the point Pipes." Jason laughed.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Piper looked so indignant! Piper glared at me and looked away. Suddenly she smiled, "Hey Percy, it's your girlfriend."

I looked to see where she was looking and saw Drew walking towards me, I grimaced.

"See you later Percy," Jason called as Piper pulled him away. "Meet you at dinner."

"Thanks for the backup guys." I grumbled as they walked away, leaving me to face Drew alone.

"Hey Perce," she cooed."How was your day?"

I glared at her. I refused to play her game, "Delightful and yours?" She giggled and gave me a knowing look. _Gods she was obnoxious._

"Why don't you come for a walk with me?" She fluttered her eyelashes at me, I rolled my eyes.

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I heard you've had an interesting day."

I snorted, "And whose fault is that?"

"Well mine of course," she smiled. I raised an eyebrow. I was shocked that she had admitted it. I had expected her to deny knowing anything. "You see, the entire camp now thinks you want a girlfriend. So you have two choices. You can either, suck it up and deal with girls flirting with you every day for the next few months or you can come for a walk with me, your choice."

I felt my jaw drop. She had to be kidding. _Wow, Piper was right. She puts the c in conniving._

She stood there giving me the most incredibly smug look. She knew I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what I picked, I would lose. I definitely did not want to continue having people ask me out. On the other hand, Hell would freeze over before I would give in and go on a date with Drew.

I smiled at her, "Well I guess that makes my choice pretty easy than doesn't it?" Drew gave me the biggest smile and held out her hand for me to take. "I guess I have to deal with those girls throwing themselves at me." I winked at her and walked away.

The shell shocked expression she gave me was priceless.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note- Thank you to everyone who has followed or marked Could Never Imagine as a favorite. This chapter was so fun to write. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I do. :-)****  
><strong>

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes Of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

"Wake up Percy."

I groaned and opened one eye. "You know on Saturday's, some people do this weird thing called sleep in."

Nico smirked, "You're right, that does sound weird."

I rolled my eyes at the son of Hades and sat up. "Alright, I'm up." I stretched and rubbed the back of my neck. I looked over at Nico who was examining his shoes as though they held the secrets of the universe. "You might as well head to breakfast without me; I have to take a shower."

Nico glared at the floor and nodded. He spun around a left without another word.

I did not understand that kid. One moment he would be almost smiling, the next he looked like I had just punched him in the face. I thought about it but I couldn't think of any way that what I had said would be offensive. I sighed and shook my head. I could never imagine that the day would come that I would understand what was going on in that boys head.

I grabbed some clothes and went to go get ready.

ΩΩΩ

It had been four days since Drew had spread her lovely rumor about me. I was at my wits end. Thank Poseidon it was Saturday. If I had to endure one more day of girls batting their eyes at me while I tried to work, I could not be held responsible for my actions.

I found myself with a lot more sympathy for Nico's plight. If Jenn was even half as annoying as those girls, then I couldn't believe the Nico was still here.

I quickly ate my breakfast and left the dining pavilion.

Hazel wanted to go for a swim but she was too uncomfortable to go alone. Apparently the children of the underworld really do have a higher likelihood of drowning.

So Frank, Jason, Piper and I had agreed that we would all go with her on the weekend. I went back to my cabin to change. I was going to do it before breakfast but I didn't feel like opening myself up to more flirting. I changed into my swim trunks and headed to the beach.

I'm not sure as to how, but Jason had even convinced Nico to come with us. I was surprised at that. I had spent nearly an hour trying to convince Nico that it would be more fun if he came. I tried telling him all the fun things that we could do at the beach that he would miss out on if he didn't come. Beach volley ball, swimming, and (I don't care if it's childish) building sandcastles, all with no success.

Then Jason leaned over and whispered something in Nico's ear. I couldn't hear what he had said but Nico gave Jason a death glare and then, after a few moments, grudgingly agreed that he would come on the condition that he didn't have to actually get in the water.

I really wished that Nico felt as comfortable around me as he did around Jason. He was still an introvert but I believe that the son of Jupiter knew more about Nico than almost anyone. It kind of made me jealous that he felt he could be so open with Jason or at least what would be considered open for him.

I was the last to arrive at the beach. Hazel and Jason were in the water with Frank who was in the form of a dolphin. Piper was just dropping her towel before going to join them. Nico was already sitting in the shade of the closest tree.

I stood there for a second trying to decide if I should head straight to the water or if I should go talk to Nico first. I looked to see Frank turn back into a human so that the two couples could have a chicken fight. _Well than it's decided. _

I didn't really want to spend time in the presence of the two perfect couples when they were being all lovey-dovey. It made my heart hurt.

So I smiled and went to go sit by Nico for a while. "Hey Nico, how is it going."

Nico glanced at me and quickly looked away with a frown.

_Wow, I feel the love. _I resisted the urge to sigh and sat down next to him. I looked out on the ocean and smiled. Being near the water always makes me feel better.

After a few minutes Nico spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. "Why are you on the beach? Go for a swim, you know you want to."

"Already trying to get rid of me hey Nico?" I joked. He locked eyes with me and glared. _Wow, tough crowd._ "Well, because you asked, I uhh... I don't really want to be the fifth wheel at the moment."

Nico glanced at the water in understanding.

As we sat there, he seemed to be looking everywhere but at me. He seemed really uncomfortable but I wasn't positive as to why. And suddenly it hit me, "Nico, I think I know why you're so uncomfortable right now."

Nico jumped for a moment before he looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Oh really, and why do you think that is?"

"It all makes sense now," as I looked at him he seemed to be getting more nervous. "Don't be upset Nico, there's nothing you can do about it. It's perfectly fine. I mean, obviously I don't feel that way but I know a few who do."

Nico visibly paled. "Percy... I, I didn't want to tell you."

I smiled at him, "Don't worry about it Nico. Lots of people are afraid of deep water."

ΩΩΩ

Nico POV

I looked at him and my mouth fell open in shock. For a moment I couldn't move. I had been so certain that he had figured out that I was in love with him. As I sat frozen he started to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. He looked like he was wondering if he was wrong. I had to get him away from the train of thought immediately.

I shook my head and looked away. "Uhh ya. I'm afraid of deep water. How did you know?"

"It's obvious Nico. I don't know how I didn't see it before. You never come down to swim with us, and you've been glaring at the ocean the entire time I've been here."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Sometimes I truly questioned my taste. How could someone add two and two and get seventeen? Percy was not stupid, but once in a while he would do a very good imitation of it. Of course I had been glaring at the ocean this entire time. My only other option was to allow my eyes to ogle the beautiful, shirtless demigod beside me. And I am fairly certain Percy would notice something was up if I started doing that.

"I'm really sorry Nico. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret. I wish you had told me though. If I had known I wouldn't have tried to force you to come swimming."

"It's fine Percy," I nearly started laughing. With all the times that he had unintentionally hurt me, he was apologizing for this. However I couldn't laugh. Percy looked really upset about hurting me. I felt like a jerk. True I hadn't started this conversation, but Percy was now hurt because I lied to him. "Really Percy, it's fine. I just don't like being in deep water when I'm alone."

"That wouldn't be a problem." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He seemed to understand what I was asking. Percy smiled at me and my heart started to stutter. I had to look away. "It wouldn't be a problem if you wanted to go for a swim. You wouldn't be alone, I would be right there with you."

I narrowed my eyes at the ocean trying my hardest, and completely failing, to not imagine Percy with his arms around my waist as we floated on the ocean.

Percy clearly misinterpreted my glare, "Don't worry Nico, I won't force you to come with me. I was just saying that if you would like to come swimming with me I wouldn't leave u on your own. You wouldn't need to worry. Besides, no one drowns when the son of Poseidon is on lifeguard duty."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Percy give me a huge smile. My breath caught in my throat.

_Oh gods..._

He needed to leave, immediately. There were far too few people around for me to be able to sit next to a shirtless smiling Percy. If he didn't leave right now I was going to do something stupid and embarrassing. "Thank you, but I'm good for now." My voice came out as an unintentional growl. "Why don't you go without me. I will call if I change my mind."

"Alright, see you Nico." Percy put his hand on my shoulder as he stood up. I pulled away at once. I knew if I didn't, I would never pull away. Percy frowned but didn't say anything.

He started walking away and my lungs started working again. He suddenly turned back like he had just thought of something. "Hey Nico, can I ask you something?"

"Are you going to ask regardless of if I say no or not?"

"Yes."

"Very well then, what is it."

"Does Jason know your secret?" _That's a strange question. _I raised an eyebrow. I knew that we were talking about different secrets but I didn't want to lie to him again.

"Yes. I was telling someone else and Jason over heard me."

"Oh. Okay. I was just wondering." Percy looked hurt that Jason knew my secret when I hadn't told it to him. The thought that Percy might be jealous, even if it was only of my friendship, gave me a warm feeling in my stomach. "That's how he convinced you to come to the beach isn't it? He knew your secret so he told you that you didn't have to come swimming?"

The warm feeling I had evaporated. "Ya, something like that." I tried very hard to keep the blush from my cheeks. Jason had mentioned to me that swimming meant a wet shirtless Percy.

"Thanks for telling me, have fun Nico."

I nodded as I watched him was to the water, and tried very hard to not think of how Percy arms would feel around me as we swam.


	8. Chapter 8

***Already 25 followers and 7 reviews. Thank you all for the support, it means a lot to me. This is where things are going to start getting interesting. This chapter was so fun to write. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

We spent the entire afternoon at the beach. I could hardly remember the last time we had that much fun. We organized a 3 on 3 game of volleyball. The teams ended up being me, Hazel, and Nico verses Piper, Jason, and Frank. Hazel struggled a little but Nico had a knack for it. Our team ended up winning 15 to 13.

Nico had eventually broken down and decided to come for a swim with everyone and I made sure that I kept my promise.

I was very proud of him for facing his fear. I stayed beside Nico the entire time so that he wouldn't get too nervous but I could tell that he was still a little uncomfortable. Jason was clearly surprised by Nico's actions as he kept gave him a strange look.

Hazel and I were in the process of building a sand castle together when Jenn finally found us.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time. I was mostly surprised that we had managed to avoid her for the majority of the day. She immediately spotted Nico sitting beneath his tree and ran towards him

"Neeks, where were you? I've been looking for you all day," she pouted.

"I've been busy."

"Doing what? You should have told me, I would have come and kept you company."

Nico visibly shuttered. I felt bad for him, that girl was a leach. I decided that I needed to save him. I stood up and brushed the sand from my swim trunks. "Hey Nico, come on. We have to get going."

Nico looked at me in confusion but he decided to play along. "Alright, let's go. We wouldn't want to be late."

Jenn looked at me and the back at Nico, "Okay where are we going?"

"Sorry Jenn, it's just the six of us."

"Why can't I come?" Jenn pouted looking between all of us.

I was drawing a blank. I couldn't think of any reason that would be able to keep Jenn from stalking us.

"Oh, well..." _ I should have thought this part through._

Piper stepped up next to me and came to our rescue. "Sorry Jenn. Percy's mom invited us to dinner at her house. We can't bring you with us."

"Oh, okay. Have fun." Jenn looked down like she was trying not to cry. She may have been annoying but I still felt a pang of guilt for upsetting her.

My pity however faded into amusement as she tried to wrap her arms around Nico. I swear that I saw Nico's hand twitch towards the hilt of his sword before she decided she had best back away. I felt bad that she annoyed him but, Gods, his face was priceless.

"Okay we should get going. See you later Jenn." She nodded and watched us walk away.

I was feeling pretty smug. Piper and I had just freed Nico from the inescapable grip of Jenn. As soon as we were out of ear shot however Hazel spoke. "So should I mention that now we won't be able go to dinner tonight?"

I frowned. We had already skipped out on lunch in favor of staying at the beach. "I see your point, that kind of sucks."

_O well, it won't be the first time I've skipped a meal._

Piper and Jason shared a smile. "Actually that won't be a problem. Piper and I have dinner solved. Follow us."

ΩΩΩ

We followed Jason into the Zeus cabin. As soon as we walked in I started to smile. There were six sleeping bags arranged in a circle on the floor.

Piper smiled at all of us. "We were going to surprise everyone with a sleep over."

"And best of all, we have pizza!" I looked behind me to see Jason smiling at all of us as he held out two open boxes.

I grabbed a slice, "How did you guys manage this one?" I was impressed. Junk food was forbidden in camp. Yet the two of them managed not only to get us pizza, but it was even still warm.

Piper laughed, "We bribed the Stoll brothers."

Hazel smiled and grabbed some pizza. "Thank you guys this is amazing." We all nodded in agreement.

As we ate our forbidden dinner, we kept joking and laughing with each other. I swear that I even saw Nico smile when Frank told us a story about the time that he went to sleep as a human and woke up as a chinchilla.

It was nearly a perfect day. The only dark spot had been Jenn. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was thinking about her.

Hazel frowned at her brother. "I really wish that Jenn would leave you alone Nico." She hated the way Jenn stalked her little brother.

Nico looked like his mood had taken a nose dive at the mention of the blonde girl. "Trust me Haze, I wish for the same thing." He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair.

Frank looked at me and then smirked. "I guess it could be worse though. You could be Percy, and have girls literally throwing themselves at your feet."

I winced at his choice of words. "For the last time, she tripped. She wasn't purposely throwing herself at me."

"Sure she wasn't. And that's why as soon as you helped her up she tried to kiss you, right?" I felt my cheeks burn. "You know, you two are probably the only guys at camp who get mad when a beautiful girl is begging you to go out with them." Hazel looked down and Nico glared at Frank. His eyes widened as he realized how she would have taken his words. Frank put his arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close. "Of course, none of them are anywhere near as wonderful and perfect and beautiful as Hazel of course, but you get what I mean." Hazel blushed at the complements but leaned into Franks embrace.

Piper laughed at Hazel's expression and Jason put his arm around her shoulders.

I shook my head and rubbed the back of my neck. "I know I should be happy, and I guess I am a little flattered, but I desperately wish that they would just stop already."

Jason smiled at me. "I'm fairly certain that people will keep coming onto you as long as you're single. And I have a feeling Jenn will never stop following Nico."

I frowned at him. I had a feeling that he was right. No matter what, there would always be some strange girl coming up to me thinking that maybe she was what I was looking for. That maybe she would be the one that I said yes to. There was only one girl in the world that I would say yes to and she had left camp. But how was I supposed to stop them from doing it? It was not like they believed me, no matter how many times and ways I said it.

"I have to admit, I can't take it anymore. Jenn is driving me completely nuts. At this point, there is nothing that I wouldn't do if it meant that she would leave me be."

I looked at Nico. I knew that he was suffering as badly as I was. I wished that there was some way that I could help him, but I couldn't even help myself.

Suddenly, I had an epiphany. I felt my eyes widen. _That wouldn't work, would it? I mean, it couldn't be that simple._

"Holy Zeus, I've got it! I know how to stop everyone from hitting on me! And I know how to make Jenn leave Nico alone!" I jumped to my feet. I was so excited! This was perfect. It would work, I was positive.

Hazel looked surprised at my outburst. She looked at her brother before she asked me, "What exactly is the plan?"

"Nico," He raised an eyebrow at me, curiosity burning in his eyes. I smiled at him, "Will you go out with me?"

ΩΩΩ

Nico POV

I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs. _What? He has to be playing with me._

I narrowed my eyes him. I was furious._ What kind of sick joke is this?_ _Why would Percy mock me like that?_ I felt the ground beneath me start to shake. I didn't believe that Percy would ever be purposely cruel but I guess I was mistaken. The pain racing through my veins was unendurable.

"What?" My hiss was filled with venom.

Percy's eyes widened and he held up his hands. "Wow Nico, calm down. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I should have worded that better. We don't have to actually date, I meant that we pretend like were going out. It would stop Jenn from following you everywhere and like Jason said, those girls won't leave me be unless I am going out with someone. I just thought that it was a good plan. Kill two birds with one stone, you know?"

I knew that Percy would never want to go out with me. Even when he had asked me I knew he wouldn't truly be asking me out. But hearing him confirm what I believed still felt like a knife to my heart.

I saw Jason jump up. "No Percy, that's a horrible idea." Jason turned to me and I saw pity in his eyes. I looked away.

"Actually I can see what Percy means," Piper stood up and tried to get Jason to back down. "He brings up a fair point Jason, if people thought that the two of them were dating, they would back off." Jason was now looking at Percy and clenching his fists.

I shook my head; I didn't need other people to fight my battles for me. I was more than capable of doing so on my own. I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to calm my pulse. It didn't really help. I closed my eyes.

"What about the fact that Percy is straight? Don't you think that anyone is going to question that part of the plan?" Jason asked.

My eyes snapped open and I nearly hit him. He might as well held a sign above his head saying, _And Nico is not._ I interrupted before anyone could pick up on his slip. "Jason is right. Percy was dating Annabeth for years." I ignored the flinch that Percy gave at her name. "They're going to question that one. I have never had a girlfriend, so they won't question me."

Percy looked at me and frowned, "Really Nico? You've never had a girlfriend?" I glared at him and he took a step back. "Sorry I didn't mean to offend you. I was just curious."

Gods, he was oblivious.

"No Percy, I have never a girlfriend." I really wanted to hit him for being so obtuse.

Percy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "If you don't have a girlfriend that what's the problem with the two of pretending to go out?"

I had to look away. I really did not want to be having this conversation.

"Drop it Percy," Jason warned.

"But why, even Piper said it's a good plan."

"You haven't even given answer as to how to get around the whole straight problem," Jason snapped at Percy.

I was surprised when Hazel spoke. "Actually that wouldn't be very hard to get around. The four of us could spread a rumor that they've been dating in secret. Sure a few people would question it at the start but people will grow to accept it if the saw them holding hands and stuff." I tried not to blush as I thought of 'holding hands and stuff' with Percy. "But that's not really important. If Nico doesn't want to do this then he doesn't have to. It's his choice."

"But do you think it's a good idea?" Percy looked at Hazel and waited for her answer.

"I think it might work. And I don't want to see Nico suffering anymore. Jenn's getting on my last nerve."

I looked down. I had no way to explain how this plan would hurt me far more than Jenn's attentions ever would.

"Frank? What do you think?"

Frank sighed and looked at me. "I agree with Hazel. It might work but it has got to be Nico's choice."

Jason looked around like he couldn't believe everyone was against him.

Percy on the other hand was watching me with a hopeful expression.

I didn't know what to do. On the one hand, this wouldn't be real. Any time that Percy touched me or held my hand, to him, it would be a lie. It would be nothing more than an act he was putting on to save himself from annoyance. That knowledge was cutting into my heart. The pain was already making it hard to breathe. Eventually Annabeth would return and I would have to watch them hold each-other again. But next time it would be so much worse than before because I would know how it felt to be held by the son of Poseidon.

"Come on Nico, what do you say? Will you be my pretend boyfriend?" Percy held his hand out to me.

I felt my heart start to break, I already knew what my decision would be. I grudgingly took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet.

"Alright Percy, I will be your pretend boyfriend." I tried to keep my voice even but my voice broke a little on the word pretend. Jason gave me a look but no one else seemed to notice.

Percy gave me a huge smile and I pulled my hand back and turned to glare at the door.

Perhaps I was just a masochist. Percy would hurt me. It was inevitable that my heart would be broken. But if this is what Percy was willing to give me, then I would take it. And I would try to treasure every second of time that I would be able to call him mine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Note- I would like to give a super special thank you to everyone who reviewed yesterday. I woke up this morning and found myself with a minor case of writers block. I couldn't figure out how to word what I wanted to happen next. Then I opened my email and saw 6 new reviews telling me how much they enjoyed my story. After reading them, I got a big burst of inspiration. And so, here is the newest chapter. Enjoy! **

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes Of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

I was the first one to wake up in the morning. We had stayed up late talking and laughing with each other. It was the early hours of the morning before we had finally crawled into our sleeping bags and passed out. I looked around me and saw that at some point in the night Nico had grabbed his sleeping bag and moved to the corner of the room. I sighed as I stretched my arms above me. Last night Nico had seemed even more remote than normal.

He usually at least spoke to Hazel and Jason. I tried to pull him into our conversation, but he just kept glaring at everything. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even sure as to why he was being so anti-social in the first place. I figured it had to do with our plan. I would have thought that he would be happy to be getting rid of Jenn, but he clearly wasn't. _Maybe he secretly enjoys her company?_ I shook my head. I didn't believe that one bit, but what else could it be?

It would make a lot more sense to me if Nico had a crush on someone. Perhaps he thought that if he was pretending to date me, whoever she was would get mad? Or maybe he was trying to find the courage to ask her out but now he wouldn't be able to? That would make the most sense to me, except for the fact that Nico was pretty much fearless. I had never known Nico to back down from anything. I didn't think that there was anything in the universe that could scare the ghost king. He had faced Tartaurus alone. If he could do that, then there was nothing that he couldn't do.

I sat up and rubbed the back of my neck. I could sit there all day and never figure out what was actually going through his head. No matter what I thought he was thinking I was sure that I would be a mile wide of the mark. He never did what I thought he would do.

I got up and headed to the Poseidon cabin. We had decided last night that we would all get ready and meet back at the Zeus cabin before breakfast.

After all, we had a rumor to start.

ΩΩΩ

I was alone, pacing around the Zeus Cabin. I felt surprisingly nervous. Piper had left first to go let it slip to her siblings about our 'relationship'. We all agreed if anyone could get this rumor going, it would be the Aphrodite cabin. Jason, Hazel, and Frank had decided that they should go to breakfast early so that Nico and I could walk in alone.

"Are you ready?"

I jumped a little as Nico stepped out of the shadows. "Gods Nico, you know you could have used the door. You gave me a heart attack." Nico didn't even look at me as I spoke to him. His gaze remained firmly on the ground. I had a feeling that he was just as nervous as I was.

"Actually I couldn't have used the door. Jenn was waiting for me outside my cabin. It was either shadow travel or have her follow me."

_No wonder he looks so nervous. If this works Jenn will have no choice but to leave him alone. He has a lot riding on this._

"Wow she's early. She must still be bummed about not being able to stalk you yesterday." Nico tensed up even more. I felt bad so I decided to lighten the air with a joke. "I guess it's too bad for her. Your mine now and I'm not willing to share." I gave Nico a wink.

His eyes widened and he looked down. I couldn't be sure but it almost looked like he was blushing. _Huh, did I really make the ghost king blush?_ I smiled at the thought but then Nico gave me a dark glare. If looks could kill I would be on my way to the underworld. _Guess I imagined it._

"Let's get this over with." Nico walked to the door and opened it.

I sighed. _Note to self, do not make jokes._ I closed the door behind us and caught up with him. The green space was already clear of campers. We were running later than I thought. I cleared my throat, "Hey Nico?" He looked at me and I held out my hand. He looked at it blankly, "If this is going to work, we have to sell it." He looked away for a moment.

I would never admit it, but sometimes he scared me. I had a feeling that if he wanted to, he would be able to kick my ass.

For a second I started to worry that I was about to find out, but he reluctantly reached out and took my hand. I felt myself blush at the contact. I looked away and moved my hand so that our fingers were entwined. I wasn't uncomfortable per say, I just wasn't accustomed to holding hands with anyone except **her**. Nico's hands were surprisingly strong and cool. It felt nice to hold his hand, I hadn't held onto anyone since **she** left.

I felt a smile creep across my face. I glanced at Nico but he seemed to be busy trying to set fire to the ground with his eyes. I wasn't sure as to why he agreed to my plan when he clearly did not want to, but I appreciated it. _I guess no matter how much he does not want to touch me; he wants to get rid of Jenn more._

I looked up and saw Colleen staring at us. "Holy Hera..." Her jaw dropped as she realized I was holding hands with Nico. She looked at us and ran off towards the dinning pavilion.

I felt Nico stop. I looked at him and noticed how nervous he looked. "Hey," I stepped up close to him so that I had to look down to see his eyes. He looked around before his eyes locked with mine. His were filled with something that almost looked like fear. "What's wrong?" Nico gulped tried to step back from me. I followed his movement and used my free hand to stop him. He looked at the ground.

"It's just, what will everyone think? I mean, I know people say it's different than it used to be but..."

I felt my eyes widen. _Of course! I completely forgot. I should have known why Nico hated this plan so much. _People in the 40's weren't exactly well known for their tolerance. "Nico I'm so sorry. You act so normal; I forgot you were born in an age where two guys dating would have been unacceptable." Nico flinched and looked up to meet my gaze. "Listen Nico, I promise it's not like it used to be. Yes, there will be a few people who can't accept it but trust me, our friends won't care. If someone doesn't accept it then they aren't worth our time." I felt terrible. I know that this was just pretend but Nico was really upset about it. Because of my plan he was being forced to act in a way that would have been completely incomprehensible to him if he had not spent 70 ageless years locked in the Lotus Hotel. "Nico, it's not too late. We don't have to do this. I would never make you do something that hurt you."

He looked at me with an unfathomable expression in his eyes. For the first time, I truly felt like I was looking at someone who had lived more years than I would probably ever see. I saw him close his eyes and take a deep breath. "It is alright Percy. I wouldn't have agreed to it if I didn't want to. Let's just get this over with." I had the urge to hug him but I didn't think that he would be very receptive if I tried.

"Alright, come on." I turned around and gently pulled on his arm to get him to follow me.

ΩΩΩ

When we entered the dining pavilion, all noise instantly stopped. Nearly every eye turned to watch Nico and me as we walked, hand in hand, to go grab our food. I could sense how uncomfortable Nico was. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. His eyes flashed to mine before quickly looking away. Now that I knew what was troubling him so much I felt like I would be able to help him a little bit better. I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before. Our time was so much more accepting than his.

Just as I predicted, we didn't have anyone openly start insulting us. However we did have several incredulous glances and almost everyone was having whispered conversations that I was positive were about us. I wasn't too surprised at that though. I had been expecting it. This would be by far the biggest news to hit camp since **she** left. Real or not, it wasn't every day that two sons of the big three started going out.

We scraped some food into the fire for the gods. I gave Nico's hand a quick squeeze and a wink before I walked off to the Poseidon table.

I often found myself wishing that we could sit at other tables. As the only child of Poseidon, sitting by myself for every meal got fairly lonely. Today especially, I found myself wishing that I could sit next to Nico. I could see how stressed he still was. He looked like he was waiting for the insults to start. I knew that it was my fault that he was so worried. At least he had Hazel with him.

I saw her touch his shoulder before turning back to her breakfast. At her touch he seemed to relax a little bit.

I wondered as to why he reacted so differently to her touch than to mine. Every time I tried to comfort him he would tense up and pull away. I wondered if it was just because she was his sister. I had never seen Jason try to help him but I would have to keep a closer watch. I was curious to see if it was just her who could calm him.

I looked up and saw Drew walking towards me. _Oh great. Here it goes._

"Are you kidding me?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Drew put her hands on her hips and gave me a disbelieving look. "There is no way that you are really going out with him."

"I beg to differ."

"Well I call bull. There is no way that you're gay, you and that Anna girl were going out for years." She raised an eyebrow like she was waiting for me to deny it.

I rolled my eyes. I had no doubt that she knew** her** name. I couldn't argue with her because what she said was true. But that didn't mean that I couldn't convince her she was wrong. "You're right, I'm not gay. I'm bi." I could tell that she was not going to take me at my word. My mother had always told me that you can catch more flys with honey than with vinegar and so, ignoring the self loathing, I put on a winning smile. "Nico and I have been going out for almost a week. Why else would I decline to go on a date with you."

She looked surprised for a moment but then she smiled. I nearly laughed as she took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. "Oh my gods Perce, it all makes so much more sense now. I knew there was no way that a straight, single, guy would turn me down." I ignored the bile in my throat as she put her hand on my shoulder and looked at me like we were sharing a secret. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

I shifted around so that I could see her better and in the process was able to remove her hand from my arm. "I wasn't ready to tell people yet. So Nico agreed to wait until I was."

She looked over at the son of Hades and shook her head. "What I really want to know though is why would you pick him?" I straitened up and glared at her but she didn't seem to notice. "I mean if you want a boyfriend, then, whatever. But why would you chose him? I mean your a 10, he's like a 6. You could do way better."

It took all of my limited self control not to deck her. _Who does she think she is? Nico is a thousand times better than she will ever be. What right does she have to insult him?_ "Nico is amazing. He is incredibly powerful. He's saved my life more times than I can count. I'm lucky to have him as my... boyfriend." I nearly slipped up. I had been one second away from calling him my friend.

Drew rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say Perce." She turned and walked away. I looked around and realized that everyone at the surrounding tables had been eavesdropping on our conversation. When they realized I had noticed them, they turned back around and started whispering, no doubt spreading around everything I had said.

_Well that should help spread the rumour._I silently chuckled and ate the rest of my breakfast in silence, smiling at the whispers that I could hear floating through the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Note- Sorry for the late update. I meant to have this chapter done 3 days ago but I got side tracked reading Yu-Gi-Oh fan fictions. So without further adieu, here is chapter 10. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

Throughout the whole day I kept having people come up to confirm the rumors about Nico and me. It seemed people would wait until I was free to come and voice their congratulations or disbelief. Most of the campers seemed to be far too intimidated by Nico to call him out on anything. _I guess being the son of Hades does have its_ _advantages_.

Though I wasn't complaining about it, I was surprised. I had expected at least a few negative comments. Yes I had a dozen or so of our fellow campers come up and express their disbelief at the fact that I was bi, but neither Nico nor I were insulted over our supposed 'relationship'. Apparently Greeks were far more relaxed about such things.

As soon as we had finished our breakfast, we decided to go for a walk together. We figured nothing would have people more convinced than seeing the two of us acting like a couple. I reached out and took his hand. I watched him stiffen for a moment before he forced himself to relax.

Nico seemed tense. I wished I could talk to him to try and help him calm down but there were too many people around. There was no way to have a private conversation. It seemed wherever we went a small group would follow us. The way everyone watched the two of us was a little disconcerting.

By this point in my life I was quite used to rumors about me. However even when the first great prophecy about me got out, the whispers weren't this bad. I had suggested this plan as a way to stop the attention Nico and I were getting but it seemed to be having the opposite effect.

I knew that we would be the center of attention for a while but I couldn't have predicted that it would be this bad. I hoped that it would fade soon. I wasn't the biggest fan of attention and if I felt uncomfortable, I could only imagine what Nico was feeling. He was never one to crave the spotlight.

That was one of the things I respected most about Nico. I had a lot of people at camp who wanted to hang out with me just because I was one of the seven. Nico didn't care about my reputation. He hung out with me because he wanted too. At least when he felt like hanging out that is. He had been my friend since long before the second great prophecy had even been spoken.

I had a great amount of respect for the son of Hades. He was brave, strong, and, although he had once betrayed me, he was always there when I needed him the most. I knew that if I ever needed someone to rely on, Nico would have my back. It had occurred to me when I was in Tarturus that Nico was the one who was always there for me. If it had not been for him I would not have survived the first great prophecy, let alone the second.

If this was the only plan that would keep the figurative wolves from the door, then I was glad it was Nico who was going to be with me.

ΩΩΩ

Nico POV

Today had been a challenge. I had never thought it could be so incredibly difficult to spend a whole day with Percy, but I supposed that I could never have imagined that I would be able to hold him and still have to try to remain aloof. It was all I could do to not to confess everything that I was feeling.

After dinner I intended to go hide in my cabin. I didn't think I could take much more of holding hands with Percy. Part of my mind screamed that it must be a dream, but my dreams of him had never been this realistic. The feeling of his warm hand holding mine was a wonderful torture. I wasn't sure how much more contact I could endure before I broke down and either hit him saying that he was coming way too close or kissed him because I was tired of him being so far away. Either way, I knew it would be better for me if I ignored him for the rest of the night.

I was just turning to head to cabin 13 when a felt a hand on my shoulder. I stiffened and turned around to glare at the owner of the hand. My glare fell when I realized it was Percy.

My heart started to beat incredibly quickly. How is it possible for such a small action to affect someone so much?_ Stop it Nico._ I narrowed my eyes and pulled my shoulder from under his hand.

Percy dropped his hand and took a small step back. "Where are you going Nico? It's time for the campfire."

"I don't really feel like going tonight Percy."

Percy looked around at the surrounding campers and stepped closer to me. I tried to step back but he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in to whisper in my ear. I couldn't breathe. "Listen Nico, I know you're unhappy with this." I felt his warm breath brush against my ear as he spoke. It was all I could do to keep from shuddering in pleasure. I felt a dark blush rush to my face. _I would not use the word unhappy... _"But if we want people to think that we are a couple we will have to convince them that we really are together. And the only way to do that is if we actually spend time with each other." I felt Percy pull back a little and I looked down, trying to hide my blush. "Come to the campfire with me."

I felt myself nodding. Percy stepped back and I struggled to control my heartbeat. It felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. Percy smiled and stretched out his hand for me to take as though it was the most natural thing in the world. I ignored the fluttery feeling in my chest and grabbed his hand.

Gods, how I wished holding hands actually meant something to him.

ΩΩΩ

I discovered that the campfire wasn't so bad when I was holding hands with my crush.

Yes there were still whispers, and a lot of people staring, and a few girls giving me dark glares, and it was still nerve racking... Okay so maybe it was still terrible, but it was hard to be too upset about it when Percy was holding my hand. Every time I would tense up Percy would smile at me and squeeze my hand, reminding me that the two of us were in this together. Or at least that's how I decided to interpret it.

Suddenly the people beside me stopped speaking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Frank, Hazel, and Percy tense up and look at me with sympathy in their eyes. I looked up and saw Jenn walking towards us.

I winced. _Gods, I am not looking forward to this._

"When were you going to tell me Nico?" She glared at Percy.

"I didn't see how it was any of your business."

"Not any of my business?"_ If she screeches any higher, we're going to have bats._ "You are cheating on me! What, did you not think I would notice?"

I rolled my eyes. I really did not understand her brain. How exactly could 'go away' translate into 'you're my girlfriend'? "For the last time Jenn, we were never going out."

She scoffed, "Is that really how little you value our relationship? You're despicable. I have spent the whole day telling people that there had to be a mistake. That there was no way you could be going out with **him**." She looked down her nose at Percy. "I mean, come on." She looked back at me. "I love you way more than he ever could. He probably doesn't even care about you. Everyone knows that he is in love with Annabeth. You're probably just a rebound guy."

I glared at her. I knew perfectly well that he loved her, no one needed to remind me of that. The worst part was that to Percy, I wasn't even a rebound guy. I was just a fake boyfriend.

I had just opened my mouth to respond when Percy put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "Listen Jenn, I won't let you talk to Nico like that. I care about him more than you ever could. We've been through more together than you could imagine. Do you have any idea how many times he has saved me? I would trust him with my life in an instant. You think you love him? You don't even listen to him. He has never made a secret of the fact that you annoy the crap out of him. If you really loved him like you say you do, you wouldn't be saying cruel things to him just to make him hurt the way that you are. You would smile and pretend to be happy for him, cause that is what you do for the one you love. You support them no matter what path they take. You are just being bitter. So kindly take your attitude and leave my boyfriend the hell alone."

I felt my jaw drop. It is not that I couldn't have defended myself but, dam.

Jenn glared at Percy and the looked at me with tears in her eyes, "Thats it Nico. We're over. When he breaks your heart don't come looking for me." She spun on her heal and walked away.

I decided against reminding her that we were never going out in the first place.

I looked down and tried to ignore what she said. It seems everyone knew that Percy would break my heart.

Now that Jenn had left I expected Percy to pull away. Instead I felt him shift even closer to me. I shivered at the feeling of his arm around my shoulders. "Listen Nico, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off. I know u can fight your own battles but I can't stand hearing people talk about you like that." I looked at him in confusion. _Why is he apologizing?_ He didn't seem to notice my questioning gaze. Percy started to babble. "It's just, you're incredibly loyal. It was pissing me off to hear her talk to you in that manner. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I..."

I raised my hand to silence his apologies. _He thought I was angry because he defended me? _"Percy, I'm not mad at you."_  
><em>

He looked surprised. "You aren't?"

"No. Why would I be mad that you defended me?"

"I don't know. I guess is seems kinda stupid when you say it like that." Percy used his free arm to rub his neck. "I suppose I felt bad because I knew you could have defended yourself and I interrupted you before you had a chance."

I felt a small smile form on my face. _Gods he's so chivalrous._ "You're right Percy, I could have defended myself, but I appreciate you doing it." I bit my lip and looked away. I desperately wanted to ask him but I was afraid of the answer.

"What's wrong?"

I jumped a little and noticed Percy looking at me intensely. For a moment I was lost in his gorgeous sea green eyes and found myself blurting the truth. "I... I was just wondering if you meant it."

He looked surprised but smiled at me. "Every word. I care about you. I would gladly trust you with my life Nico." Percy smiled at me and removed his arm. I immediately missed the warmth. He turned back to continue his conversation with Frank.

Percy trusted me. I felt a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought. I couldn't help but smile. I reached out and took his hand.

Campfires really weren't all that bad.


	11. Chapter 11

**Note- This chapter won't have very much Percico. Just a little at the end. It's more a chapter to show another side of Nico. I don't think Nico is a weak little kid like he is often portrayed. I believe that he is 12 kinds of awesome and this chapter is to showcase that.**

**Also, I would like to give a special thanks to 'Ya Wouldn't Understand' for telling me about the prophecy/prophesy thing in the last chapter. There was exactly a 0% chance of me catching that on my own. I do apologize for mistakes like that. I do not have a beta so therefore I know that there are a few mistakes in my stories. I try to catch most of them but I'm not perfect. So I appreciate it when people bring them to my attention.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Nico POV

It was truly amazing how much could change in three days. So much had happened since we put Percy's plan into action.

Most of the girls seemed to have stopped obsessing over him, which was a plus. Jenn was now completely avoiding me, which I also considered a plus. Most people seemed to have accepted it and as such quit following us around, definitely a plus.

I still had at least a few people everyday ask me if the two of us were really going out, which was annoying and kind of a negative. I was still sort of the center of attention, which I defiantly felt was a con.

Then there was Percy. We hadn't done anything other than holding hands and him occasionally putting his arm around my shoulder. I couldn't decide if it was a pro or a con. On the one hand I was holding hands with Percy, the boy I've loved since I was a kid. On the other hand it felt like it was killing me to have him touch me knowing that he didn't share my feelings.

_Gods, when did I become so melodramatic?_

I sighed and shook my head. It seemed like I couldn't control my thoughts lately. I had always been in control of myself but whenever Percy's hand touched mine, it's like all conscious thought went out the window.

_Thank Hades that I have sword training today._

With the clean-up, we hadn't had much time to train lately. Jason was in charge of training a few new campers and had asked for someone to help him with a demonstration. Apparently word of his achievements had gotten around and a few of the kids had been begging him to let them see him fight. I had immediately volunteered.

I was feeling incredibly frustrated from the last three days. My confusion about the Percy situation was only fueling my ADHD. I smiled, _nothing like sparring match to get one's mind off a certain green-eyed son of Poseidon._

Jason was doomed.

ΩΩΩ

I walked down to the shore. With the coliseum still in need of major repairs, training had moved to the beach.

By the time I arrived, Jason and his class were already waiting.

"You're late di Angelo." Jason smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Not at all Grace. You simply said after breakfast. It's not my fault that you didn't mention an exact time. Now are we going to do this or what?"

Jason just smiled. "Alright kids, go sit down and make sure to stay back." The children nodded and ran to sit on the grass. They were clearly excited to see the golden boy fight. "Now pay attention." He turned back to me and drew his gladius. I smirked and drew my stygian iron sword.

This was going to be fun.

We turned to face each other. I waited, allowing Jason to make the first move. He started circling to the right, I narrowed my eyes. I knew exactly what he was trying to do and kept the smile from my face as I went with his plan, turning with him as he moved. He turned until his back was at the morning sun. As the glare of the sun hit my eyes, he launched forward.

I smiled and fell back into my own shadow. I saw Jason's eyes widen just before the shadows wrapped around me.

A moment later I stepped out of his shadow and swung my sword towards his throat. He quickly stepped back as he brought his sword up to block. He looked so surprised that I had to resist the urge to chuckle.

My amusement faded as he brought up his right leg to kick me. I spun to the side as I swiped at the spot that he had been only a moment before. I dropped to the ground in a roll. I felt a blade swoop over my head.

I spun around and aimed my heel towards his chest. He tried to jump back but wasn't quite fast enough. My foot connected with his shoulder and he stumbled. I stepped forwards to try and press my advantage but before I could, he used to wind to shoot himself 10 feet into the air.

He raised his sword above his head. I threw myself to the side just in time. Lightning struck the spot that I had occupied only a moment before.

Our fight was beginning to get more intense. I struck the ground with my blade. The earth ripped open and skeletons emerged, ready wage war.

Jason called the wind to smash my skeletal warriors into each other. Lightening surged from the sky turning my army into bone meal. The energy of his attacks forced him to land, too weak to continue his flight.

While he was focused on the undead soldiers I dropped back into my shadow. I came out of the shadows directly behind Jason. Before he could react I disarmed him and held the edge of my sword to his throat.

Jason released the winds that he had been controlling and I allowed the warriors to disappear back into the earth.

For a moment all noised stopped.

Roaring laughter suddenly broke the silence. "That was epic!" I looked to my right in surprise and saw Percy standing in the surf, clutching his sides in laughter. I had to look away.

I heard a noise and looked to my left to see the young campers staring at us in shock. Their faces clearly said that they couldn't believe the son of Jupiter had lost.

Jason started chuckling. "And that kids, is why you should never underestimate your opponent. Just because someone is bigger than someone else does not mean that they will win. It all depends on abilities and how they're used."

The kids nodded and started to whisper to themselves. I lowered my sword and stepped back.

I felt an arm thrown around my shoulders. I tensed up and realized that Percy had come over to talk to us. "Wow Nico, that was amazing." I looked down and tried not to blush at the compliment. "It's about time someone put the golden boy in his place. I just wish it had been me." Percy laughed.

Jason smirked, "Ya right, like you could ever beat me seaweed brain."

"I'm up for it if you are Sparky." Percy pulled riptide out of his pocket and started spinning the pen between his fingers. "Or are you to tired from getting your ass handed to you."

Jason laughed, "I would love to fight you right now. Besides I'm sure you need all the help you could get."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Fine, we can do it another day then." Percy smiled and turned back to me, "Seriously Nico that was awesome. I didn't know you could fight like that. You've gotten stronger."

The compliments were making me a little uncomfortable. I wasn't use to people praising me but, because it was Percy, it kind of felt nice. I was doing my best to keep my mind away from the fact that the warmth from his arm was seeping into my shoulder. I narrowed my eyes at the ground. "Thanks."

Percy pulled back a little, "Try not to sound so enthused there Nico, someone might think you were having a good time."

I frowned and looked away. Sometimes I almost wished that he knew so that he wasn't always misunderstanding everything I did. Then I would remember that if he did know, he would avoid me like the plague. I sighed and shook my head, there was just no winning.

As wonderful as the sword fight had been at distracting me, its effects were already gone. I pulled out from under his arm and started to walk away. "It's fine Percy."

ΩΩΩ

I was depressed all afternoon. No matter which way I thought of it, this was going to end badly. I almost wished that Annabeth had never left. At least when she was still here I could be alone, which made it far easier to distract myself from my misery. There was always something to do. Sword fights, reconstruction, even if it was just hiking in the woods.

Now that Percy was my 'boyfriend' he felt that it was his responsibility to be there whenever I felt upset, which only proved to me that he would be amazing as a real boyfriend, and served to depress me further.

He had tried to talk to me a couple times this afternoon but I just walked away. I needed a day that wasn't centered on him; I needed a day to do whatever I felt like.

It worked well. I was able to distract myself fairly easily. I helped with the rebuilding of the coliseum for a while, and went for a hike. The hike helped the most. Its hard to be distracted by thoughts when monsters are attacking you. I ran into a few weaker monsters but nothing that posed a true threat to me.

I still thought about him a bit but it was more of a passing thought.

All in all, it was a successful day. I felt fairly happy by the time dinner was over.

It had never occurred to me that anyone would notice the tension earlier. After all the only ones that were there other than me, Percy, and Jason were the kids. There oldest member of the group couldn't have been more than 11, but I should have known better than to underestimate children of Aphrodite.

In matters of relationships, they knew all. Including that Percy and I were supposedly going out. Which means when they saw me glare at him and walk away, they would assume that something was wrong. It also means that they would go tell their older sibling who would then decide to try to help. After all, the descendants of the love goddess enjoyed interfering with the love life's of others.

I should have known they would try to 'help.'

I was walking out of the dining pavilion. I was in the process of trying to decide if I wanted to go to the campfire or if I would rather just call it a day and head to my cabin.

"Hey Nico," I looked up and saw a child of Aphrodite coming towards me. I believed her name was Sam or something like that, but I couldn't be sure.

I frowned, "Can I help you?"

She smiled; I could tell that she was one of those people who are always smiling. I immediate disliked her. "Just wait for one second okay?"

"Why?"

"My siblings and I just want to talk to you for a moment. By the way, I'm Sarah."

_I was close. _"What exactly is it that you want to talk to me about?"

I didn't think it was possible but her smile got even wider, a smile that big had to be painful. "Well it's not just you; we want to talk to both of you."

I looked over my shoulder to see 3 children of Aphrodite pulling Percy towards me. I had a bad feeling about this.

They let Percy go and stood in a circle around us. The children of the love goddess might not be very powerful but they were certainly going to try and force us to listen to whatever it is that they had to say.

Percy looked at me and raised a questioning eyebrow. I shrugged; I had no idea what it was about.

Apparently Sarah was acting as the spokesperson for the group. "So one of our little sisters told us about what happened earlier on the beach." I felt myself pale; this was unquestionably not going to be good. "Plus we noticed that you two have been avoiding each other today. Did you guys get in a fight?" The way she was looking at us, you would swear the thought was breaking her heart.

Percy looked at her and smiled, "It was nothing, just a little argument."

I really did not want to talk about relationships with anyone, let alone some Aphrodite campers I barely knew. I frowned and looked away, wrong move.

"I don't think so, I mean just look at Nico." I stiffened and looked back at Sarah. "If it was nothing then he wouldn't be so upset. It may have been nothing to you Percy but whatever it was clearly hurt him"

_What?_ Gods this was awkward. "I assure you, its fine. Can I go now?"

Sarah gave me a disbelieving look. "I'm sorry Nico, but I'm not convinced. We're not letting you leave till you make up."

I glared at her. "Forget it, I said we're fine."

She raised an eyebrow, "No, we want to help. You guys are adorable together; we don't want the two of you to break up over something so small."

Percy sighed and rubbed his neck. "What will it take to convince you that we are fine."

Sarah gave him a big smile, "Kiss him."

_Oh Hades, kill me now._ This could not be happening. I choked, "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that big of deal. You guys say you're fine, so kiss and make up."

I felt my heart go into over drive. _No, I cannot do that. This cannot be happening right now._ I started to panic. There was no way that I could kiss Percy. Not here, not in front of a crowd.

I found myself stepping away from him. "No."

Percy looked surprised, but I couldn't stay next to him. I had to get away. I didn't want him to see how much the thought of kissing him was affecting me. I pushed past Sarah and shadow travelled to my cabin.

ΩΩΩ

Percy POV

I was shocked at Nico's reaction. I couldn't understand how that request could have produced that strong of response. But I didn't have time to process that right now. No matter how surprised I was it was nothing compared to the children of Aphrodite.

They looked like they were about to have a panic attack.

"I'm sorry. He... um..." I was racking my brain trying to come up with a plausible excuse. "He is very uncomfortable with PDA." Thank Athena for quick thinking. They looked a little unconvinced but it was a good explanation so I continued. "It took me a lot of convincing just to get him to let me hold his hand. He was born in the 40's, people were a lot more conservative back then."

Sarah's eyes grew wide, "Oh Percy, I'm so sorry. We were just trying to help."

I let out a breath in relief. "It's okay, don't worry about it. He will calm down."

"Oh my gods, this is all our fault. We made it worse." One of her siblings looked like he was ready to cry.

"Please Percy; let us make it up to you." Sarah looked at me.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." I didn't want to do anything that would aggravate the son of Hades.

"Oh, I know exactly what to do! Please Percy, I promise it's a good idea. Please let us make it up to the two of you."

I bit my lip. They were so distraught; I had to do something to let them know I forgave them. I sighed and nodded. "Okay."

I really hoped I wouldn't regret this.


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm really excited for this chapter! It's going to be a long one. :-) Enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Nico POV

I felt incredibly awkward about last night.

I could not believe I had reacted like that. But the thought of kissing Percy, that was not something I could think about. If I hadn't left, I have no doubt that Percy would have kissed me without a second thought. I was not sure as to how I would react if the son of the sea god was to kiss me. It was making me nervous just thinking about it.

I took a deep breath to try and clear my mind. I closed my eyes for a second and went to wake up Percy.

I had no doubt that he would be able to get to breakfast on his own by now, but I couldn't resist those few moments before he woke. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. I knew that I was torturing myself but seeing him look so relaxed, it was like a drug that I couldn't kick.

I rolled my eyes at that thought, _I need professional help._

I entered the Poseidon cabin. I knew that this morning would be weird. I really did not want to have to explain myself to him.

How could I even start to justify my reaction? _Sorry, but I've been in love with you for years and I couldn't stand the thought of you kissing me just to appease some idiotic campers who couldn't stay out of other people's business?_ I'll pass on that one.

I looked down at Percy, the sooner he was up the sooner I could leave. "Hey Percy, it's time to wake up."

He opened his eyes and they went straight to mine. _Gods he has amazing eyes_. I had to look away. I took a deep breath and started to leave.

"Wait Nico," I closed my eyes. I really did not want to have this conversation. I turned back so that I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

"What do you need Percy."

He hopped out of bed and came to stand beside me. He ran a hand through his hair. He looked highly uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about last night." My eyes snapped to his in confusion. _What is he apologizing for?_ "They were out of line. They apologized after you left..." He looked at me like he had suddenly recalled something. "By the way, if anyone asks, you're uncomfortable with public displays of affection because you were born in the 40's."

I nodded. That was a fair excuse actually; I was surprised he had come up with it. I considered using it for when he asks about my reaction.

I focused my attention back on the conversation, I couldn't understand his behavior.

"They felt really bad afterwards..." Percy looked nervous.

_Why would he be anxious?_ I narrowed my eyes. I had a bad feeling about this. "What did you do?"

Percy stepped back. "Please don't kill me."

This was going to be bad. "I make no promises. Now tell me what you did."

He cleared his throat and gave me a sheepish look. "Well after you left and I gave that excuse, they ummm... they were crying and were begging me to let them make it up to us."

_Oh gods, this could be bad._ "Make it up to us how."

"I can't tell you. They made me swear it on the River Styx."

"If you don't tell me what you did, you will be seeing that river in person shortly." I was beyond furious. I really did not care for Aphrodite or any of her descendents. I didn't trust them in any way, shape, or form.

Percy took another step back. "Listen I can't tell you, but I promise it's not that bad."

I took a step towards him contemplating as to whether to draw my sword, or simply pummel him into the ground. "Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't beat you."

"Please Nico, just trust me."

I paused. He was asking me to trust him. I had asked him to do the same thing on many occasions. If there was one thing that could make me hesitate, that was it.

I couldn't decide. On the one hand, I didn't want anything to do with the love goddess and her family. But on the other hand, I did trust Percy.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. "How about this, I will trust your judgment right now. I will let them to 'make it up' to us. But if it's anything like the last time they tried to help, I will beat you within an inch of your life. Understand?"

Percy gulped and nodded.

"Good, now get dressed. It's time for breakfast." I turned around and walked away.

ΩΩΩ

I ate as quickly as I could.

I did not want to spend any additional time around the Aphrodite cabin. Throughout breakfast they kept whispering and throwing glancing at Percy and me. This was going to be bad.

Percy ran up to me before I was able to escape. I was still angry at him for agreeing to let them interfere with our fictional relationship.

He was working on the reconstruction team today. I had never been so glad to be assigned to the garden.

"Meet me outside the Hades cabin at six pm okay?"

It was obvious that they were going to 'fix' everything tonight. "Fine, I will be there."

Percy gave me a small smile and walked away.

I sighed. I was really dreading tonight.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. How is it that when your dreading something, time seems to move faster because of it?

I headed back to my cabin at 5:30 for a quick shower and a change of clothes. Weeding the garden was messy work.

Percy was sitting on my steps at precisely 5:59. He looked a little nervous. I felt a little bad but at the same time I hadn't ruled out the pummeling option yet.

Percy smiled and offered me his hand. I thought about just walking away but I figured if I had his hand, I could keep him from running if this was as bad as I was expecting. I sighed and took his hand.

Percy started walking towards the beach. I felt my eyebrows scrunch together. _Were we going for a swim?_ That didn't seem likely. It didn't seem like the Aphrodite cabin's style. The sun was just about to set so I supposed it could have kind of been considered romantic. A swim wouldn't be so bad, but I hadn't brought my swim trunks.

When we reached the beach Percy led us away from the place that we would normally swim. We reached the edge of the sand and he brought us to a little foot path at the bass of a hill. I don't know if it could truly be considered a path, if Percy hadn't been leading me, I doubt that I would have noticed it.

The path led us through the small forest and down the far side of the hill. When the path opened up, it revealed a small, hidden, cove.

The entire cove could not have been bigger than the Hades cabin. The waves lapped at the miniature beach, and the soft beige sand stretched all the way to the rock face. The hill that we had climbed formed an overhang, which would shelter this little paradise from any weather.

I was speechless. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. "I had no idea that this was here."

Percy smiled, "Me neither. Apparently it's an Aphrodite cabin secret." I felt a small smile on my lips. I turned back to looked around and realize that there was a small dining table set for two. I felt my shoulders stiffen slightly. Percy noticed my reaction and fidgeted. "They set up a private dinner for us. I suppose that this would be considered our first date."

I did not know exactly what I was expecting but it wasn't that. I suppose I was afraid that the children of Aphrodite would try to force me to express my feelings like their sibling, Eros, had. A date actually made a lot of sense. After all, unlike Eros who was a god, the half blood children of the love goddess would not be able to best me in a fight. I immediately felt myself relax. I could handle having dinner with Percy.

Then what he had actually said sunk in._ We're on a date?_ I felt the breath rush out of my lungs. I had to force myself to calm down. I was suddenly very nervous. I had never been on a date before.

"So should I run?" I glanced at Percy. He seemed pretty anxious waiting for my reaction.

I shook my head and looked back at the table. "Your fine," I may have been very nervous but I wasn't going to kill him because he took me on a date. I bit my lip. I didn't want to ask him but since I had no experience to go on, I had no choice. "What, umm... what do people, you know, do on a date?"

Percy looked surprised and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly, I don't really have all that much experience myself. I've only ever been on a few dates with... well you know. We were always busy. As far as I can tell, it's like hanging out but in a romantic setting."

_Huh. I can deal with just hanging out._ "That doesn't sound so bad."

Percy smiled and pulled me towards the table. I reached out to pull out my chair but he beat me too it. I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Sarah told me in no uncertain terms, that I was to act like a gentleman or she would convince her friend from the Hecate cabin to curse me."

I frowned as I sat down. I had just had a very bad thought. "Does that mean that their watching us?"

Percy smirked. "No, they wanted to, but I made them swear on the River Styx that no one would watch or interfere. That's how they got me to promise not to tell you. We compromised," He chuckled. "Well, my promise and me pointing out the fact that it would be the opposite of helpful if you found out we had an audience. Either way, we have the evening free of spies." Percy looked very satisfied with himself. I had to look away.

I chose to examine the table. I couldn't help but smile. They had covered the table top in a red and white checkered cloth. There were two candle holders with the candles already lit. They were giving of a surprising amount of light, which made me believe that they might have been magic. In the center of the table there was a single red rose in a vase. The sun setting in the background created the perfect atmosphere. Percy completed the picture when he pulled two champagne flutes, two plates of chicken alfredo, and a bottle of sparkling wine out of a picnic basket.

It was so clichéd. It looked like they had pulled it straight off the set of every romantic movie every set in Italy.

I chuckled, it was absolutely perfect.

If they had asked me to design my ideal first date, it could not have been more magnificent then this one, straight down to the boy across from me.

I found myself praying to Aphrodite that, for this one evening, I would be able to forget about everything else.

Percy smiled at me, "So am I forgiven then?"

I tilted my head and pretended to think about it. "Well...I guess I can forgive you." I smiled.

Percy laughed and poured our drinks.

ΩΩΩ

Percy POV

I could not remember the last time I had smiled this much.

As we ate our dinner we chatted about everything and nothing. We talked about childhood pets or, for him, lack thereof, music, places we would like to go one day, favorite colors, everything. I have no idea how long we spoke. He even taught me a few words of Italian.

He laughed when I asked him to teach me the word for idiot. "Why would you want to learn that?"

I smiled. I had not seen Nico act like this since I first met him. "I believe it is highly important to have the ability to insult someone in any language."

Nico smiled at me, "That one's easy, it's 'idiota'."

I nodded, "I can probably remember that."

Finally we ended up kicking off our shoes and going wading in the ocean. We had a small water fight that, needless to say, I won.

Ultimately we ended up laying on the beach together, still talking, as we watched the stars. I had my arm around his shoulders. I wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but eventually his head had ended up on my chest. I wasn't really questioning it as somehow I had ended up running my fingers through his hair. I felt strangely blissful.

I was halfway through the story of the many schools I had been expelled from when I realized that he had fallen asleep. I sighed as I realized that I had no idea what time it was. It was probably really late, way after curfew.

I smiled and wrapped my other arm around the son of Hades and started to rub his arm. I felt him begin to stir, "Hey Nico?" I felt him breathe deeply, "We should probably head back to our cabins."

Nico sat up and rubbed his eyes. I couldn't help but find him adorable when he was sleepy. He may have been a terrifying force to reckon with in battle but, when he was just waking up, he was sweet. I smiled at the thought of what he would say if I told him that he was cute. I doubted that it would be a positive reaction.

I felt my eyebrows pull together, _since when do I think Nico is cute?_ I shrugged at the thought. I was probably just tired.

I smiled and stood up. I offered Nico my hand and helped pull him to his feet. He stretched. "I've never seen you so tired before Nico."

"I was having a really good sleep."

"I'm that good of pillow, hey?"

Nico smiled, and looked away. "Come on sea-prince. Let's get back."

_That's a new one._ I smiled at the nickname. It was a lot better than fish-face. "Alright ghost king, come on."

ΩΩΩ

We managed to make it back to the cabins without incident. I was right about it being late. There campfire was long over.

I hadn't even realized that the walk was over until we were both standing on the Hades porch.

Nico looked at the door and sighed. I had a feeling he didn't want tonight to end either. We always seemed to be at odds; it was hard to allow the night to when we had gotten along so well to end. I wished that the two of us could spend time together like that more often. It was amazing. I hadn't thought of **her** once.

"Do you think the Aphrodite cabin will mind if we go back there again?"

I smiled, "Nope. Sarah told me that we are free to go there as often as we want as long as we don't tell anyone else about it."

Nico perked up at that. "That's good to hear. I think that might be my new favorite place."

I laughed, "Agreed. It's beautiful."

Nico looked down. I couldn't be sure in the dark but it almost looked like he was blushing. "I should probably go in."

I nodded absently. For some reason I really liked the thought that I had made the son of Hades blush. I smiled and using the hand that wasn't holding his, I tilted his head up so that I would be able to see his face better.

There was indeed a bright flush of color on his cheeks. Without thinking it through, I found myself leaning forward. The last thing I saw as my eyes slipped closed was his eyes expanding as my lips met his.

ΩΩΩ

Nico POV

I felt his lips on mine. I couldn't move. If I was to move in the slightest I felt like it would shatter whatever beautiful dream this was.

His lips were so incredibly soft against mine and I could taste just the slightest hint of salt. I felt his mouth moving but found myself completely unable to respond. The only thought racing through my head was _Percy is kissing me; Percy is __**kissing**__ me, oh gods... Percy is kissing me!_

I discovered that I was not breathing. At the moment, that seemed like a small price to pay. I could handle not breathing if it meant that he would keep kissing me. I felt like I would pass out from lack of oxygen but I didn't mind.

Suddenly I felt Percy stiffen and pull back. I felt the air rush into my oxygen deprived lungs. My face was completely devoid of emotions. The feeling in my chest could not be described by anything as simple as an emotion. My heart felt like it was going a thousand miles an hour. I felt Percy remove his hands from my neck and hair. _Huh, when did he move his hands?_

My eyes snapped to his and my heart froze. He was looking at me in such shock, like he couldn't believe he had just done that. He fell back a step. I could see the apology in his eyes and I couldn't take it. I had just had the most incredible night of my life and Percy, the Percy, twice savior of Olympus, hero of both great prophecies, the boy I have been in love with for years, had just kissed me.

I refused to allow him to say anything that would affect my memories of tonight.

I opened the door to my cabin and locked it behind me.

I fell against the door and felt my hand go to my lips.

_Percy kissed me..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Things really get going in this chapter. Oh I'm so excited... :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

I was late to breakfast. For the first time in just over two months Nico had not come in to wake me up. I hadn't been able to sleep a wink. As I waited to see if he would show, I couldn't seem to decide if I wanted him to. I knew I needed to apologize but I didn't think I could face him. I could only imagine what he would say. I had no idea as to why I had kissed him in the first place.

Part of me was mortified. I knew that this relationship with Nico was supposed to be pretend. Last night he had looked so stunned, I couldn't even understand as to why I had done it. He ran away before I could even respond, not that I had any way to justify my actions. I felt terrible; I figured that he must have been disgusted with me. He didn't want to use my plan in the first place, and then I had to go and kiss him.

When I entered the dining pavilion, I couldn't even bring myself to look at him. I knew it was cowardly but I was unable to force myself to face him just yet. _How can I justify myself to him when I can't understand it myself?_

I had spent a sleepless night racking my brain. I tried to figure out what would make me decide to kiss him. It hadn't been a conscious decision, but something had clearly made me do it. I tried to think logically but all I had come up with was that I had a great time yesterday on our non-date. But how could that translate into kissing him? I have had fun with both Frank and Jason before but never felt the urge to kiss either of them.

What made Nico different from any of my other friends?

I couldn't even bring myself to think about the kiss itself. I felt my gut clench at the very thought of it. The embarrassment I felt was immense. _He didn't even react._ I shook my head. Did I even want him to react? I didn't think so but I couldn't seem to keep my mind from coming back to that point. I ran my hands through my hair. I had never been so confused.

I took a deep breath and left the dining hall. I hadn't finished my breakfast but I couldn't force myself to eat anything else. I was immensely thankful that Nico and I were not working together. I usually enjoyed spending time with the son of Hades, but I couldn't do it with the kiss hovering over our heads.

_That kiss..._ I shivered at the thought. I couldn't understand my body's reaction to it. As much as I tried to focus on other things, my mind kept coming back to the feeling of his cool lips against mine. I felt my pulse quicken and my stomach clench. I was mortified, but I didn't usually react this way to humiliation. But what else could it be? I was definitely embarrassed, possibly more than I ever had been before. Perhaps that was how my body reacted when I was beyond humiliated. It made a certain degree of sense but I wasn't positive that was the whole reason. I had a feeling that I was missing something. I had never been very skilled at deducing my own emotions.

ΩΩΩ

I was basically useless the entire day. I had so many things on my mind that I couldn't focus on the task at hand.

By the time we stopped for the day I had come up with a plan. I may have never been very good at figuring out emotions but Piper was. If anyone could help me it would be her.

I went to the Aphrodite cabin to look for her. I knocked and a familiar face opened the door, "Hey Percy."

"Oh hey Sarah, is Piper here?"

The blonde shook her head. Her normal smile faded into a frown. "Percy what happened? Didn't the date go well? If anything you and Nico seem to be avoiding each other even more today."

I winced. I really did not want to get into it with her, "No the date went fine, really well in fact."

She furrowed her brow, "Then what happened."

"Please, I don't want to get into it."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "If you want me to tell you where Piper is then you'd better tell me what I want to know."

I shook my head, _why do Aphrodite's kids always resort to blackmail?_ I sighed, as I tried to think of a way to phrase it without telling her everything. "I did something idiotic and now I don't know how to fix it. I was hoping Piper would be able to help me. She's better at this kind of thing than I am."

Sarah nodded and looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, "You really love him don't you?" I had no way to respond. _I'm not in love with Nico, right?_ I didn't think so, but the fact I wasn't positive surprised me. "Piper is hanging out with Jason. I think they went to the woods." I nodded at her and walked away. If anything, talking to Sarah had only served to confuse me more.

When I reached the woods I tried to listen for voices. I could hear someone who sounded like Jason so I followed the voice. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could hear someone answering. I figured that he must be talking to Piper.

I had gotten close enough that I could hear them clearly. I intended to go up and speak to them but the next sentence stopped me in my tracks.

"I know I shouldn't have these feelings, but I can't stop myself. I know that my feelings will never be returned. But the fact of the matter is I'm in love."

The second voice belonged to none other than Nico.

ΩΩΩ

Nico POV

I didn't know what to do. Percy kissed me. I would have thought that I would be on cloud nine, but he clearly regretted doing it. I could not imagine as to what convinced him to do it in the first place. He hadn't so much as glanced at me today.

_That kiss..._ I shivered at the thought. It had been the most wonderful moment of my life. I hadn't slept a wink last night. I had played the scene over again and again in my mind. I had resigned myself to a life of never knowing the feeling of those perfect lips against mine. It had been a glimpse of Elysium. If I had died in that instant, I don't think that I would have minded. For a moment I had know the true meaning of the word happiness, but now I had to pay the piper.

I frowned. I knew that the cost of such bliss would be high. It was only logical that Percy would want to back out of the plan. This was supposed to be pretend. I did not want it to end so soon. I had no doubt that the moment Annabeth returned, he would rush back to her arms but I had hoped that I would be able to keep him until she returned. The thought of losing him so soon was even more painful than I had anticipated. I could not bring myself to go to his cabin this morning. As long as we didn't speak, he couldn't tell me that he wanted to end our fictional relationship.

I knew I would not try to force him to stay. No matter how amazing it had been, I would not throw away Percy's friendship over a kiss. Even if I was to confess my feelings it wouldn't change anything.

I shook my head. I needed to talk to someone and the only one who I could speak to was Jason.

I spotted the golden boy walking hand in hand with Piper. I felt my gut clench at the thought of walking around with Percy like that. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I didn't want to disturb them. I knew that it was hard for them to find alone time together.

I was about to walk away when they spotted me. Everything I was feeling must have been pretty clear on my face. Jason took one look at me and turned to Piper. I saw her smile and wave him away. She looked at me with concern in her ever changing eyes.

I nodded to her in thanks and she walked away.

"Hey man. You look terrible."

I scoffed, "Thanks Grace. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Jason smiled, "Your welcome. Do you want to talk about it?"

I bit my lip and looked around. There were too many campers around for this conversation. "Ya, but not here okay?" I walked in to the woods. I didn't feel like fighting monsters right now but as long as we didn't go in to far, they wouldn't bother us.

I sat down and leaned my head against a tree. Jason sat down next to me and waited.

There were so many thoughts racing through my head I didn't know where to start. I ended up blurting out the thought that was most frequent. "Percy kissed me."

Jason face fell open in a perfect 'o' of surprise. "Wait, what? When did this happen."

I sighed, "last night." I looked at him and told him everything that had happened since the sword fighting class two days ago. He stayed silent the entire time I spoke.

When I finished he just let out a low whistle. "You've had an exciting 48 hours. So that's why you guys haven't spoken today?" I nodded. "That makes sense." He shook his head. "I don't know what to say man. You have no idea as to why he did it?"

"No. We haven't spoken since it happened."

Jason looked pissed. "He shouldn't have done that to you. He has no right to mess with your head like that."

I rolled my eyes. He never seemed to get that I could defend myself, _unlike Percy._ I shook my head to dispel the thought. "I would agree with you, except for the fact that he has no idea. If I choose not to tell him, then I can't exactly get mad when he does the Percy thing and acts without thinking."

Jason frowned. "I just don't like the fact that he's hurting you. You shouldn't have to put up with it."

I shrugged. "It's not intentional."

He looked at me seriously. "Nico, you deserve better than someone who hurts you. I really wish that Percy could be the one for you, but we both know that he is going to tear your heart out." I winced. "There are plenty of nice guys at camp. You should find someone who can love you back."

I hated the fact that everyone knew I wasn't the one Percy really wanted. I snapped. "I know I shouldn't have these feelings, but I can't stop myself. I know that my feelings will never be returned. But the fact of the matter is I'm in love." I shook my head. I needed to get out of there. I pulled the shadows around me and was gone before Jason could even respond.

ΩΩΩ

Percy POV

I was shocked. I would have thought that my body could not handle any more surprises. I have no idea as to how I made it back to my cabin.

Nico had a crush, no, that's not right. Nico was in **love** with someone.

I couldn't believe it. When I looked back on everything it was obvious. Nico's hesitation to agree to my plan, his reaction to Sarah suggesting that we kiss, his lack of response when I kissed him. I should have figured it out sooner.

I felt a stab of jealousy.

I ran a hand through my hair. Why would Nico talk to Jason about this? I had thought that we were getting along so well last night. Then again I had probably ruined everything that we had achieved when I kissed him.

I started to wonder as to who it was. I could think of dozens of girls that had shown interest in him but I had never seen him show interest in anyone. Then again, he had said that she would never return his feelings. Maybe she was with someone? I tried to think about who is in a relationship that he spends any time with. The only people I could come up with were Piper and Hazel. Obviously it couldn't be Piper as he was talking to her boyfriend and Hazel was his sister. I frowned and shook my head. For some reason the thought of Nico with some faceless girl really aggravated me.

I couldn't figure out as to why the thought hurt me so much. Suddenly Sarah's words came back to me, _'You really love him don't you?'_

I frowned. I didn't love him. I was fairly certain of that.

I forced myself to think about him. I had really enjoyed spending time with Nico lately. I enjoyed his company more than anyone else, but he had been my friend for longer than almost anyone else so that kind of made sense. I loved making him smile and laugh, but since he so seldom did it I was sure everyone felt that way when he did. I hardly ever found myself thinking about **her** when I was around him... that one I couldn't explain. Around everyone else, a slight mention and my thoughts went into the past to **her**. But with him, my thoughts remained fixed on the present.

The more I thought about it the more things I could see, the way that Nico always managed to catch my attention in a crowd, the way I couldn't stop myself from watching him when he ran his hands threw his hair, the way my heart beat a little faster whenever I thought I saw him blush, even last night when we were on the beach, I had thought about how cute he looked. The way my stomach tightened when I thought about the touch of his lips...

I felt my eyes widen. _Oh My Gods!_

I may not have been in love with him... but I did have a crush on Nico di Angelo.


	14. Chapter 14

**Yay, Blood of Olympus came out today. My sister bought me the book as I couldn't get to a book store. My city has three Tim Hortans, two Starbucks, a Walmart, and still does not have a single book store... how sad. :-( **

**Instead of reading that wonderful piece of literature right now, I decided to post a chapter for all of you. It's my gift to the PJO fandom at the end of an era *starts to cry*. I hope you all enjoy. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaio (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Percy POV

I opened my eyes. I felt groggy. I groaned as I stretched my neck, my back was stiff from sleeping in a seated position. I couldn't even remember falling asleep. I had spent yesterday evening trying to figure out how I should proceed. I had no idea what to do.

_I have a crush on Nico_... even thinking it felt strange. This was not supposed to happen. I was supposed to be pretending to like him, not actually fall for him. I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face.

After an entire evening of planning I had come up with only three possible options.

One, I could end our 'relationship'. I knew that in time, my crush would fade and Nico would be free to chase the one that he loved. In order for my crush to fade though, I would need to avoid him for a while. The thought of not being able to spend time with him was painful, excruciatingly so. I had never realized just how much I had come to depend on the son of Hades until I thought about my life without him.

Two, we could continue to do what we were doing. I wouldn't have to avoid him, but I knew my crush would only grow stronger. Besides, it was not like I would ever really be able to give him my heart. I also knew it wouldn't be fair to Nico. Now that I knew he was in love, how could I justify keeping him around me just because I didn't want to lose him?

Three, I could go to Nico and allow him to chose how we would proceed. He would be able to decide if he wanted to pursue the one he loved. I was positive that he wanted this 'relationship' over with. He had never been thrilled with this plan, and now I knew why. The biggest problem with this plan was that I knew Nico. He would do anything to help me, including choosing to continue our relationship if he thought that was what I wanted.

Besides, in order for it to be fair to him, I would have to admit my feelings. I wasn't ready for that. I did not know how long ago I developed this crush but I only figured it out last night and there was no way that I was ready to confess that to him. _I can only imagine how he would react_, I cringed at the thought. I was likely to end up in the fields of punishment.

I was leaning towards the first option. It would be painful, but it would be the right thing for both of us in the long run. I knew that not being around the son of Hades would put me in a foul mood, and it was going to only get worse. Eventually he would win the heart of the one he loved, how could he not? And I would have to watch the two of them walk through camp hand in hand.

I sighed. It would hurt, but it would be worth it. Nico deserved to be happy, he was an amazing guy. It would not be fair of me to stand in his way if there was the slightest chance that he could be with the one he loved. After everything he had been through, he deserved to be with whoever she was.

I nodded to myself. I would talk to Nico today and tell him it was over.

I grabbed some clothes and went to get ready.

ΩΩΩ

It was such a beautiful day outside. I wished that it wasn't quite so sunny and warm. The weather seemed to mock my mood. I was probably over thinking things but it felt like the sun was telling me to put on a smile, regardless of how I felt.

I managed to catch up to Nico right as he was leaving breakfast. He seemed like he was trying to get away before I could even talk to him. I had really screwed things up with that kiss. The way he wouldn't look at me made me feel even worse. As much as it would hurt me, his reaction made me positive that I was doing the right thing. There were many reasons why the two of us could never last. Not the least being the fact that Nico was straight.

I shook my head to dispel the thought. "Hey Nico, can we talk?"

Nico frowned and looked away. "I can't right now Percy. I have to get going." He looked anxious to get away from me.

"Okay, can we talk after dinner then? It's important."

Nico sighed and nodded, "Okay." With that he turned and walked away.

The day passed agonizingly slow. With it being a weekend I had no work to do. I really wished I had something to occupy my time. My brain kept falling back to thinking about Nico, and I was desperate for a distraction.

I decided that I should head to the archery range. I was atrocious at archery and as such I would be forced to keep my entire mind focused on the task in order to make sure that I didn't kill myself, or someone else, by mistake.

When I walked into the range holding a bow the place mostly cleared out. My reputation clearly preceded me. In fairness I couldn't blame them. I had nearly impaled one of the Athena campers last time I practiced.

I took my stance and drew my bow. I did my best to ignore the fact that those who remained had ducked behind the shed. I focused on the center of my target and used my mouth as an anchor, just as I had been taught. I took a deep breath and released the arrow on the exhale.

"Di Immortals!" I dropped my bow. Somehow I had managed to hit myself in the face when I released the arrow. The bow string had come down on my left forearm and I could already see the beginning of what was going to be a giant bruise. I couldn't even see where my arrow had gone. I heard laughing behind me. I saw that those who had been watching were looking at a spot about 20 feet to the left. I followed their gaze and found the missing arrow imbedded in the ground. I felt the blood rush to my face.

_Well that's enough practice for today... _I had long ago accepted that archery would never be one of my talents. Apollo himself wouldn't be able to help me.

I don't know as to why I always felt the urge to keep trying to improve with a bow. I was a danger to everyone around me, but it just wasn't in me to give up.

I shook my head in self-disgust and grabbed my equipment to return it to the armory. So much for a lasting distraction, I sighed as I walked around to the door of the armory. As I was about to turn the corner I heard someone speaking.

Normally I would have continued without a thought, but the voice saying a familiar name made me stop in my tracks. "So Nico, I was wondering if you would want to go to dinner with me sometime."

_Nico? Is this what he had to do today?_ I frowned at the thought. I felt a stab of jealousy at hearing someone ask out the son of Hades. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tried to remind myself he was not mine, if he wanted to go out with someone it wasn't my place to interfere.

"Sorry, not interested." I felt the breath rush out on my lungs in relief as a huge smile spread across my face. I immediately shook my head and started internally berating myself. I should not be so happy that he said no. It's not my place to care.

I heard the other voice answer, "Why not?"

"I already have a boyfriend." I blushed. I had never heard Nico call me that before. With the revelation from last night still fresh in my mind, I felt my heart flutter a little. I rather liked the way he said it.

"You mean Percy? I haven't seen you guys together in the past three days. I heard someone say that the two of you had broken up."

"Well we haven't." I peaked around the corner. Nico was leaning against the armory door glaring at the ground. Standing a little too close to him was a tall demigod with dark brown hair. I vaguely recognized him. His name was Ryan and he was a son of Apollo.

Ryan shrugged, "Well you guys sure act like you have. No worries, I'm willing to wait."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Simple, I think we would be great together." Nico looked up to glare at him and his gaze locked with mine. He looked shocked for a second before he gave me a 'get in here and help me' look.

I stepped around the corner and walked to his side. I put my arm around the ghost king and felt him wrap his arm around my waist. I expected the son of Apollo to back away a little but he stayed right where he was.

"Hello Ryan, can I help you with something?"

The look he gave me made it clear that he knew I had heard them. "No, I was just talking to Nico." Ryan turned and smiled at the son of Hades, "I really like you Nico. If you ever get tired of Percy, you know where I am."

I felt Nico stiffen under my arm and the son of Apollo turned and walked away.

I was surprised by how blatantly he had spoken. I would have thought that since he believed that we were a couple that he would have at least had the decency to be embarrassed. But, then again, I had met Apollo; I knew where he got his arrogance from.

"So how long were you spying on me?"

I jumped away and blushed when our gazes locked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just returning the equipment and I heard him ask you out."

His eyes narrowed at my response. "Why would you care?"

I broke eye contact and looked at the ground. _Because I'm developing a crush on you and don't like the thought of you dating anyone else._ "I..." I blushed even brighter, I had no justifiable reason. I tried to change topics. "You could have said yes you know. You don't have to keep pretending with me."

He scoffed and looked away. He looked upset at my response. "If I wanted to, I would have." I had a strong urge to wrap him in a hug but I felt like I had made him uncomfortable enough with that kiss. "Trust me on this Percy; I am not interested in him." I felt myself smile at that, as much as I wished it didn't, the fact he didn't like him made me happy. "If you remember we both started this for a reason. If it keeps people from stalking me I am more than happy to be in a 'relationship' with you."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise. I had almost forgotten about our stalkers. I hadn't taken that into account when making my decision. If I ended our fictional relationship, than we would be swarmed again. His situation was as bad as mine. I knew that it wouldn't be fair to him to end it without giving him a choice in the matter.

I sighed; I did not want to talk about this. I really wished that I could take back that kiss. "Nico... can we talk now?"

This was going to be so awkward.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the cliff hanger guys. I had to choose between a cliff hanger and waiting until today to post the last chapter and this one together. And I knew that I really wanted to post a chapter on the 7th. I hope none of you are too angry at me. LOL If you are, this chapter should make up for it. Enjoy. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

Nico POV

This was going to be so awkward.

I really wished that we didn't have to do this. I was not looking forward to losing him. The fact that Percy told me I should have said yes to Ryan felt like a knife to the chest.

I had almost convinced myself that he wanted to kiss me. The way he was blushing so much, the way he was spying on me... I sighed. I should have known better.

I had known this day would eventually come. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to step back and allow him to walk away. I didn't care if it had only been just over a week since our 'relationship' started. I had been in love with him for years.

The thought of never touching him again hurt far more that I could have expected. I had tried to prepare myself for this since the beginning but I should have known that was impossible.

I closed my eyes, "Fine."

Percy dropped off his equipment and started walking away. I followed him across camp and into the Poseidon cabin. The fact that he had chosen a place that we could speak and not be over heard did not escape my attention.

Percy looked nervous. He kept opening his mouth to say something only to close it again. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. Watching him pace was making my ADHD kick in. I heard him sigh and opened my eyes in time to see him rubbing his face as he collapsed onto his bed.

I watched him lay there for a few minutes. My nerves were getting the best of me. I had tried to avoid this conversation and now that it was here I just wanted to get it over and done with. _I guess it's up to me. _"I thought you wanted to talk."

I heard him sigh as he sat up to face me. He glanced at me only to look back down at his lap. I had never seen Percy act like this before. "Ya, I did. It's just, I don't really know what to say anymore. Words have never exactly been my realm of expertise."

"It's fine. Just say what you've got to say so I can get out of here." It was all I could do to just to keep my emotions in check. I may not have been able to control my feelings for the son of the sea god, but refused to let them show.

"I... we... need to talk about..." Percy shook his head and roughly ran his fingers through his hair. "Listen Nico, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I had no right to kiss you like that."

It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing. He thought I was mad at him for kissing me? I forced my face to remain expressionless but really, how much further from the truth could you get? "It is alright Percy, I am not mad at you."

"I still shouldn't have kissed you without asking permission. I mean, I know that you don't feel that way about me," _He knows that, does he?_ I raised an eyebrow but kept my lips closed. "I didn't think it through, I'm sorry."

I felt my lips pull down into a frown. "I know you weren't thinking. As I said it's fine."

"No, it's not. I... listen Nico, we need to rethink this plan," I turned to glare at the floor, _here it comes._ "I don't want to lie to you. I think that... maybe...Gah! Why is this so hard to say?" He buried his head in his hands.

I looked at him in confusion. I had no idea what he was trying to say. "Just say it."

I watched him take a deep breath. "Nico, I... I can't continue faking this relationship." I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. I nodded and turned to leave. "Wait! I'm not finished."

I felt the need to flee. I didn't want to stay a moment longer. "That seems like everything we need to say." I put my hand on the door. _I will have to leave for a while, I'm sure Dad won't mind me coming for a visit._

Percy frowned and spoke in a heavy voice, "I wish it was. Please don't freak out. Just hear me out and then make your decision." I looked at him. My heart may have been breaking but he piqued my curiosity. "I want you to decide if we continue dating or not, but you need all the facts first."

_He wants me to decide? But he just said that he didn't want to continue this._ I frowned and sighed. As much as I wanted to keep him, I wouldn't force my company on him. "It's fine Percy. If you don't want to go out with me then I am not going to make you."

Percy winced. "That's kind of the problem... I do want to go out with you. I... I like hanging out with you. I just... I can't... fake it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I... I like you Nico." There was no way in Hades he was trying to say what it sounded like he was.

I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion. "I like you to Percy."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Well, I mean, l I do like you, but I meant... I think I might be developing a small crush on you."

For a moment the world seemed to spin backwards.

Percy did not have a crush on me. It couldn't be true. He was in love with Annabeth. I felt my heart break all over again. I had unconsciously begun to hope that I had heard him correctly, but there was no way he would forget about her. She was his other half.

I tried to speak through the pain of that knowledge but it seemed impossible. I managed to croak out only a single word, "What?"

Percy blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry Nico. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But it wouldn't have been fair to you to not tell you the truth. I want to continue this, but only if you want to. I just thought that I should warn you that I can't remain aloof. Don't worry, I won't make you do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."

My brain seemed to have stopped working. It was the kiss all over again. It seemed like I had to work 10 times as hard to even speak. "You... like me?"

"I... yes, I do like you. Don't worry, I know you don't feel the same and that's okay. I can accept that." He was clearly nervous. I wished I could help calm his fears but I was frozen in shock. Percy started to babble. "I just thought that if you wanted to continue our relationship, even though I lost control and kissed you, that you had the right to know. Don't worry; I will do my best to try to avoid doing that in the future..."

"No." I surprised myself when I spoke.

Percy looked at me and then looked down. "Okay, that's alright. I'm not going to force you to go out with me. It's your choice." I saw him close his eyes for a moment before he nodded and stood up. He was trying to hide his emotions but I could see the sadness in his eyes. "Well I'm going to head for a swim, see you later Nico."

"No! That's not what I meant... Yes, of course we can continue going out."

Percy frowned. "I don't want you to feel pressured into doing this. You can say no if you want to, I won't hold it against you."

I shook my head; the entire conversation was starting to catch up with me. "I know, but I want to go out with you. And no one makes me do anything that I don't want to."

Percy looked hopeful and gave me a tentative smile. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

I felt myself beaming. _Percy **liked** me. _I knew that it wouldn't compare to the way I loved him but it was so much more than I had ever dared to hope for. I was trying my best to hold in the force of my joy but it was difficult. It was all I could do to keep myself from leaping into his arms.

"Why did you say no then?"

I tilted my head. It was hard to think with that knowledge bouncing through my brain but I forced myself to focus. I had to think this through logically. Percy said he thought he might have a crush on me. I would have to be very careful in how I chose to proceed. I would have to downplay my feelings for him. If I was to let out all the emotions that I had been harboring for so many years, it would freak him out and I would lose my chance. I had an opportunity to show him how I felt about him. It was an opening I could never even have hoped for; I would not screw it up.

If I was to have the slightest chance with him I would have to start off very slowly.

"I just meant that you don't have to avoid me." I was nervous about saying it but I knew that I would need to in order to lay his fears to rest. "And that I don't mind if you kiss me."

Percy looked surprised. "Are you positive? You didn't seem particularly comfortable with it."

"Trust me on this Percy; I did not mind you kissing me." I smiled to myself at the understatement.

Percy didn't look like he believed me. "You froze and then ran away."

I looked down to hide my blush. "You just surprised me is all, I didn't see it coming." Percy was still giving me a skeptical look. "I... I sort of think I might like you too."

It was Percy's chance to look stunned. "You... like me?" I just nodded; I was too embarrassed to speak. "Are you certain?"

I sighed. I needed to get away from the topic of my feelings as soon as possible. "Are you going to ask for clarification of everything I say?"

Percy blushed. I found it incredibly attractive on him. "Sorry, I'm just surprised is all. I mean you... never mind." I was curious but I decided against asking. He looked as though he really did not want to know the answer to whatever he was thinking. Suddenly he looked at me curiously. "So does this mean that you're not straight?"

I couldn't help it, I started to laugh. Percy joined in a few moments later. I had not been this happy in a long time. Eventually we calmed down enough so that I could speak.

"No Percy, I'm not. I take it that you're not either?"

Percy smiled and let out a small chuckle, "Apparently not. Looks like I really am bi, who knew?"

I smiled at the boy who held my heart, "Come on it's time for dinner."

As we left his cabin my heart felt lighter. I knew that there were still a lot of things that we would need to speak of. Percy may have begun to like me but there were still questions that we needed to answer, but at the moment I was content to simply bask in my joy.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. :-) Yay, they both know they like each other! Let's start the real Percico! I'm so excited. **

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

**Nico POV**

When I woke up I was nearly positive that last night was a dream. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wrap my head around it. _Percy likes me..._ I smiled at the thought. As I walked into the dining pavilion I half expected to see him still avoiding me.

Instead he gave me a half wave and smiled at me as he sacrificed food to the gods. I felt my heart constrict, _it really wasn't a dream._

Sitting with him at the campfire last night had been Elysium. I was content to hold hands with him before but now that I knew he was starting to feel something for me, my heart was in overdrive.

I could never have imagined that Percy would ever feel anything for me. I tried my hardest to keep my blissful mood. I didn't understand it at all. _How could the twice savior of Olympus see anything in me?_ I sighed. As hard as I tried to keep my negative thoughts at bay, they always came back to the surface.

The truth was that I knew Percy was too good for me. He always had been. I couldn't stop myself from thinking that the only reason that he thought he had a crush on me was that his feelings were new. To the best of my knowledge he had never been interested in a male before, he spent the most time with me, so it would have been natural for him to believe he was attracted to me.

I could endure Percy's relationship with Annabeth. He had been in love with her since before I had even met him, but the thought of him dating a random guy... I winced. I wasn't sure I could survive that. It was one thing to know that you never stood a chance with the guy you loved because he played for the other team; it was an entirely different thing to know you stood no chance with him because he was out of your league.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I would not give up. If there was even the smallest breath of a chance that Percy could be mine, I would fight with everything I had. Right now Percy thought he cared for me and I would try my hardest to win his heart before he changed his mind.

My musing was interrupted by Frank coming by my table. "Hey Nico, Chiron wants to see us at the big house."

I nodded to him as he left to go speak to Hazel. I found that I didn't really have the stomach to finish my breakfast. I stood up and headed to see Chiron.

ΩΩΩ

When I got to the big house I saw Jason and Piper already waiting. Jason smiled at me as I looked around. Mr.D was sitting on the porch speaking with Chiron, who was in his wheelchair.

The wheelchair was magical. One would never know by looking at him but the chair served as a way to hide the majority of his body. Chiron was a centaur, half horse half man, but he currently looked like a middle-aged teacher.

Next to Chiron sat a girl with frizzy red hair. I was surprised to see her; she was usually in school at this time of year. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was the only human to be able to step foot in camp. She was the Oracle of Delphi, she usually only came to camp during the summer or when a prophecy was needed. I felt my eyebrows pull together. If she was here, that meant that a quest was going to be issued.

I heard people coming up behind me. When I turned around I saw Percy walking with Frank and Hazel. Percy had a huge smile on his face as he started running towards the house. I turned around in time to see the oracle of Apollo wrap the son of the sea god in a giant hug. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Hey Red, did you miss me?"

Rachel started to laugh, "You wish, seaweed brain."

Percy smiled and stepped back. "So what's new O' wise and powerful oracle?"

"Not too much in my life water-boy," Rachel's smile faded. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

Percy frowned and looked away. "I'm getting better."

"You will be okay."

Percy gave her a sad smile, "Did you see that in a vision?"

"No, but I don't need to." Rachel looked at him and begun to wiggle her eyebrows. "By the way, I heard you and Nico are now an item, about dam time."

Percy blushed and then started laughing, "What do you mean 'about time'?"

She glanced to me and I felt my heart stop beating, _Oh gods this is going to be bad._ She turned back to Percy and opened her mouth to speak.

She was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I had never been so happy for an interruption. I looked to my right and saw Chiron watching us. "I do apologize but we have things that we must discuss."

He turned around and we followed him into the house.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I was excited to see Rachel. I hadn't had a chance to speak with her in over two months. She had been my friend for almost as long as Nico had.

"So what did you need us for Chiron?"

The centaur smiled at me, "I told you a few months ago that I would authorize the quest to free Calypso. The camp is mostly repaired. The only thing that is left to do is to finish the coliseum, and I believe the other campers can handle that without you."

I was shocked. I had known that our new quest was coming but I had thought that we would have to completely finish rebuilding first.

Jason thoughts echoed my own, "We get to go?"

Chiron nodded, "I have kept you here long enough. If you are ready, it's time for all of you to go and keep your oath. That is why I've called Ms. Dare. If there is to be a quest, we will need a prophecy."

The six of us looked at each other. Our wounds from our last quest, both mental and physical, were still fresh in our minds. The thought of leaving the safety of the camps borders was nerve racking, but we all knew what we would do. I looked at Rachel. "Well Red, what do you have for us?"

Rachel looked at us and smiled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When her eyes opened they were green and filled with the spirit of the oracle. Her mouth opened and green smoke poured out.

_"Seven demigods shall travel to where the sun is risen,_

_The goddess shall be saved from her eternal prison,_

_For an old love one's heart shall begin to yearn,_

_For a new love, a passion, shall begin to burn,_

_A choice to be made, a matter of heart,_

_To old love be true, or new love to start."_

Rachel collapsed backwards onto the couch.

I had heard several prophecies before but I had never heard one quite like that. It almost seemed like two unrelated prophecies. The first two lines were about our quest but the rest was about love.

Hazel voiced what every one of us was thinking, "What does that mean?"

Rachel opened her eyes, "What did I say?" Jason repeated the prophecy back to her. When he was finished she frowned. "That's strange."

"What could it mean?"

Rachel sighed, "I have no idea. I just speak them, I don't know any more than you do until it comes to pass."

I cleared my throat, "Actually, I may know what it means." The entire room fell silent and looked at me. I felt a little uncomfortable. I had never told anyone about her before. "I've been to Calypso's Island. It's called Ogygia. I ended up there during the quest for the Labyrinth. I was injured and she nursed me back to health. She... she fell in love with me. She wanted me to stay with her and become an immortal, but I couldn't. I had to return to help stop Kronos. I... I think the last four lines are about me."

Everyone one was silent. Eventually Rachel broke the stillness. "Oh. That would make sense. So the last lines are about Calypso and Annabeth."

I winced. I missed **her** so badly. Every time I heard her name it was like someone had stabbed me in the heart. No matter what I did, the only thing that could keep me from drowning in my memories was Nico. It seemed as though I couldn't think of the two of them at the same time, they were mutually exclusive.

Whenever I did think of the two of them, I felt guilty. **She** had chosen to leave me but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I was betraying her. But I couldn't stop caring for Nico any more than I could stop loving **her**.

I shook my head. I was giving myself a headache.

"Sorry Percy, I didn't mean to bring her up."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "It's okay Rachel; I'm interpreting it the same way."

"Okay, so now that those lines are figured out, who is going?" Piper looked around as she spoke. "Obviously it's going to be the six of us but the prophecy said seven so we have to pick one more."

Hazel frowned, "I think we should bring a child of Apollo."

I frowned and looked at her, "Why one of them?"

"Well the prophecy said, '_seven demigods shall travel to where the sun is risen', _which means we would be better off with a child of the sun god right?_"_

Nico interrupted. "It probably just means that the island we're looking for is west of here."

Hazel shook her head, "I don't know. I have a feeling it's more precise than that."

I frowned. I hadn't had the best luck with children of Apollo, but I had a feeling that Hazel was right. "I have to agree with Hazel here. I may not want to spend extended amounts of time with a child of Apollo but I think we are looking for a specific place." The rest of the group reluctantly agreed to Hazels plan.

Piper nodded, "Okay so we all agree, but which camper do we pick?"

Chiron cleared his throat, "May I suggest Ryan? He is quite good with a bow."

I scoffed. I really didn't like Ryan, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he asked Nico out, nope, nothing at all. "What about Will? He's really good at healing. I'm sure we could use a healer for our quest."

Jason shook his head. "Will is going home this weekend to see his mom. He's been talking about it all month. I don't want him to miss out on that just because of a quest. I don't really know Ryan that well but he doesn't seem too bad. Does anyone have a problem with Ryan going with us?"

I bit my lip. I looked at Nico. He was frowning at the wall. I wanted to step in but it wasn't my place. If Nico didn't care whether or not Ryan came then it wasn't my place to say anything. I sighed and nodded.

Piper nodded and smiled, "Alright Ryan it is."

I looked at Chiron, "So when do we leave?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry if there was any confusion about who is going on the quest. It is Percy, Nico, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Ryan. :-) Don't worry; I'm not done with our two favorite demigods just yet, this quest is going to be fun. This is a super short chapter but it's also a fun one. Enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

We spent two days making sure that everything was ready. The Hephaestus cabin had agreed to let us use the Argo II. At first they were hesitant to lend it to us but Jason and Percy had convinced them. Leo had built the ship, and by using his ship to free Calypso, it was as if Leo would be coming with us.

The Hephaestus Cabin had repaired the Argo shortly after our return. Leo was an extraordinarily gifted mechanic, even by Hephaestus standards. They had tried their best but the Argo II would never be quite the same. Leo was the only one who could have fixed everything. They had fixed most of the issues; it was only little things that would never again work, like how the mess hall no longer played scenes from around camp.

I dumped my bag in the room I had been assigned and headed up to meet everyone else on deck. Looking around, I could sense a wrongness in the air. I had never really been a close friend of Leo but it still felt as though something was missing. Judging by the faces of the remaining members of the seven, they felt the same.

Leo had made sure that everyone who was on the ship could fly it. He had even forced me to learn during the trip from Rome to the House of Hades. The only one who was coming that was unable to fly the Argo was Ryan.

I sighed and glared at the floor. I had really wanted to speak up and not allow him to come. I didn't believe he knew the meaning of the words 'personal space'. I was not exactly what anyone would call a people person and Ryan liked to disregard my personal bubble. The only thing that had stopped me from speaking up was my gut. I had a feeling that if we did need an Apollo camper, Ryan was the one that would be able to help us.

I watched as Ryan strutted his way out on deck. His dark brown hair was artfully styled and the white t-shirt he was wearing made his bright blue eyes even more noticeable. He saw me looking and gave me a smirk. I had to roll my eyes and look away. One glance and you could tell he was the type of guy who spent just as, if not more, time on his appearance than the Aphrodite girls.

"Hey Nico," I frowned. We hadn't even taken off yet and already he was standing way too close for comfort.

I took a step away and turned towards him. "What do you want Ryan?"

Ryan smiled and leaned against the mast. "I just came to say hi, is that so wrong?"

I rolled my eyes. I was not in the mood to deal with the arrogant son of the sun god. "Why don't you go bother someone else?"

"Why would I want to do that when you're right here? Besides you're my favorite person to bother." For a moment I seriously considered the pros and cons of tossing him overboard. He sighed. "Listen Nico, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I really like you, I know you are with Percy right now but who knows what the future will bring. I'm just saying... don't write me off until you know me. We are going to be hanging out in close quarters for a while at least, what better time to get to know someone?" He gave me a genuine smile.

"I'm sorry but you're not my type."

I couldn't help but compare him to Percy. They seemed to be opposites. Percy was loyal to a fault, the fact that Ryan didn't care if I had a boyfriend showed that he really didn't care that much about loyalty. Ryan was very charismatic, and while people would follow Percy without question, no one would ever say Percy had a silver tongue. Even their looks were on opposite ends of the spectrum. I would, grudgingly, admit that Ryan was fairly attractive, in a pretty-boy kind of way. Percy however was extraordinarily attractive but more in a surfer, outdoorsy kind of way.

All in all, I definitely preferred Percy.

I couldn't stop my eyes from turning to door that lead below deck. We were just waiting on Percy and Hazel to come up before we took off. I wished that Percy was standing where Ryan was.

"How do you know I'm not your type if we've never even had a proper conversation?"

I turned back towards Ryan. "How do you know that we would be good together if we've never even had a proper conversation?" I countered.

Ryan laughed, "Touché, but at least I'm willing to get to know you. I'm willing to chance being wrong, are you?"

I raised one of my eyebrows, "I'm with Percy; I'm not looking to date anyone else."

He shrugged, "Who said we have to date? Why not just try getting to know each other first?"

I gave him a disbelieving look. "So all you're looking for is friendship?"

"For now at least. Give me a chance; get to know me before you decide that you want nothing to do with me."

I frowned. I hated when people judged me without even trying to get to know me. If I refused to even attempt a friendship with Ryan, I would be doing the same thing to him that others did to me.

I had a feeling I was going to regret my decision. "Fine, we can try."

Ryan smiled, "I'm glad to hear it."

He tried to step even closer to me. I narrowed my eyes and drew my sword. I had it against his throat before he was able to finish a single step.

"Be warned though, I am with Percy. I am happy with Percy. If you continue to try to flirt with me, I will impale you."

Ryan's eyes went wide and he took a step back. As soon as I lowered my sword his smirk came back. "I shall keep it in mind."

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

When I came up from the cargo hold the first thing I spotted was Nico with his sword at Ryan's throat. I was slightly embarrassed at the pleasure the sight gave me. At least I knew that Nico wouldn't put up with Ryan's constant flirting.

As soon as he put away his sword, I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I felt him stiffen in my arms for a moment before he realized that it was me. I felt Nico relax and lean against my chest.

"See you around Nico." Ryan smirked at me and walked off.

I sighed and rested my chin on his head. "He really annoys me." I felt Nico pull away to look at me. I couldn't understand his expression. He looked very surprised but also like he couldn't quite believe me. "What?"

Nico smiled slightly and shook his head in disbelief, "Percy... are you jealous?"

"No," _I'm not jealous, am I?_ I blinked in shock. I thought about it and realized that I kind of was. I didn't like when Ryan flirted with him. I didn't want to tell him that but I couldn't lie to him either. I felt myself blush, "Well, I mean... maybe a little."

Nico looked down but I could have sworn that there was a blush on his cheeks as well. He hesitantly reached out and put his hands on my shoulders. I felt my own blush brighten at the contact. He looked up at me hesitantly. "Trust me Percy, you have no need to be jealous. He's not my type."

I felt my heart flutter a little when his gaze locked with my own. I gulped and slowly leaned down towards him. I saw his eyes widen in shock but he didn't pull away.

Right before my lips met his I heard someone gasp. We pulled back blushing and saw Piper looking at us in shock. "I uh... Hazels ready to go. We're getting ready to takeoff."

I nodded at her and awkwardly nodded at Nico before we all went our separate ways to prepare for takeoff.

ΩΩΩ

I stood at the helm. I was the one who would be steering for the first watch. As I looked over the deck I could see Nico double checking all of the sails to make sure they were properly attached. Piper and Hazel double checking that we had everything that we thought we would need for the quest. Frank was in the form or an eagle and was helping Jason to untie the mooring lines and raise the anchors. Ryan, well Ryan didn't seem to be doing anything. He was just sitting on the deck enjoying the sun.

I rolled my eyes. _Oh ya, he was a good choice,_ I sighed.

At Jason's all clear, I began the process of lift off. We had decided that we would head over land. It was a far shorter distance than it would have been if we tried to sail. Besides, after I had told them the whole story of how I landed on Calypso's Island they began to think that air travel might be the only way to get there. We had Leo's astrolabe attached beside the steering wheel. We hoped that once we reached 'where the sun is risen,' it would help us. At the moment all it did was spin in a lazy circle.

For the beginning of the trip we had decided to just head east. We all agreed that we could work on figuring out exactly where to go once we reached the Pacific.

Everyone had gathered on the left side of the ship for one last look at our camp. I looked out and saw camp half blood beginning to get smaller and smaller. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, our quest had finally begun.


	18. Chapter 18

**I love the friendship between Jason and Nico. It's probably my favorite friendship in the PJO universe. :-) Enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

Our quest was finally underway. I was happy that Chiron had forced us to wait a while before going. We had needed some time for our injuries to heal. If it wasn't for him everyone probably would have set out the day the Argo was repaired. Still, after over 3 months of waiting, I was quite ready to start our quest.

I was getting reacquainted with the movement of the ship. After a few months of solid ground, the slight rocking motion made it hard to walk. I felt bad for Hazel. My sister was already sea-sick, or air-sick, as the case may be. Frank had led her below deck to lie down for a while. I knew that her illness would lessen slightly after a few days.

Ryan was also clearly feeling the effects. His skin had a slightly green hue, and he clung to the side of the ship like a life line. _Who would have thought the child of the sun god wouldn't like flying?_

I shook my head as I watched Piper trying to lead Ryan down to his cabin. She had to use charm-speak in order to get him to release the railing.

Everyone seemed to have a slight problem at the beginning. For the first two hours we all stumbled around like idiots. The only one who seemed immune to it was Percy. I smiled to myself, _figures the son of the sea god wouldn't have any trouble with ships... even if it's a flying one._

My eyes drifted to Percy at the helm and my breath caught in my throat. He looked so confident steering the ship. The way his hands rested on the spokes, the relaxed manner in which he stood, the way the wind was blowing his black hair, he looked as though he had just stepped off of a movie set. He was completely in his element... it was breathtaking

I had never really seen him on the ship before; he rescued me and then fell into Tartarus and right after he escaped, I left to deliver the statue to camp half blood.

He spotted me staring and gave me a 100 watt smile. I looked away and tried to keep the blush from my face. I was used to secretly stealing glances whenever I could. I knew he didn't mind my staring but it was difficult to break the habit that I had for years.

None of us had much time to speak to each other in the last two days. Getting the Argo ready had taken all of our efforts. The only opportunity we had to speak was at the campfires and that was no place for private conversations.

I was desperate to speak to Percy, I had so many questions that I needed answered. We hadn't really spoken about anything since the conversation in his cabin three days before. Though I wanted the answers, I was also scared to hear them.

I hadn't known about Calypso. Percy had always said that Annabeth had been his only girlfriend. He had told us the entire story. They may have never been in a true relationship but they had clearly had something between Calypso and him. I knew it was foolish but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

_Speaking of jealousy..._ I felt myself smile. I couldn't stop thinking of Percy's reaction to Ryan. I knew that logically I should be thinking that Percy was over reacting, after all we were just talking, but all I could think of was the fact that he was jealous over me. After being jealous of Annabeth for so long, I rather liked the idea of Percy being the one who was envious for a change. It proved to me that he really did seem to like me, if he didn't he wouldn't have cared.

I thought back to our almost kiss. I was glad that Piper interrupted us. Well kind of... if she hadn't then we would have been kissing in the middle of the deck where anyone could have seen. I would rather my first real kiss with Percy be in privet. That way if I passed out from lack of oxygen, no one would know. I felt my smile grow as I imagined how his lips would feel against mine if I wasn't frozen...

"Hey Nico, what's with the grin?"

I felt myself blush as I turned around to face the son of Jupiter. "What do you want Grace?"

Jason smiled at me, "I was wondering if you wanted to chat. We haven't gotten a chance to talk in a while."

I looked away. I should have known he would want to talk. I was certain that my behavior over the last few days would have confused everyone.

The more I thought about it the more I realized that talking to the golden boy might actually help me. "Okay."

ΩΩΩ

"Alright, now tell me as to what's gotten into you?"

I sighed as I closed and locked the door to his cabin. I was surprised he made it into his room before he broke down and asked me. It was a little cruel but I couldn't help playing with his head a little. I faked a frown and looked into his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Jason laughed, "Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. What exactly happened to you? You've been going around actually smiling at people... it's freaking everyone out."

I raised an eyebrow. "It freaks people out that I'm happy?"

"Well ya, everyone is used to you being all doom and gloom. I'm fairly certain most people at camp weren't aware that you knew how to smile."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Oh, well doesn't that make me feel all warm and fuzzy."

Jason chuckled at my reaction. "You know what I mean. You're not exactly the cheeriest person most days. Now quit dodging my question. What happened?"

I couldn't keep a straight face any longer, I smiled. "Percy happened."

Jason's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about, what did he do?"

I sat down on Jason's bed. I wanted to tell him, but I had also enjoyed keeping the conversation to myself. "I don't really know where to start."

"Last time we talked you told me that he kissed you. So start after our last conversation."

I looked down and took a deep breath. "Well Percy found me the next day when Ryan was asking me out and..."

Jason made the letter 'T' with his hands like he was calling a time out, "Rewind and freeze, Ryan as in the son of Apollo who's travelling with us?"

"Yes."

"He asked you out? When did this happen? Did you say yes?"

I sighed, "As I've already said, yes he asked me out. It happened three days ago. And why would I possibly say yes?"

"Well if you didn't say yes why are you so cheerful?"

I ran a hand through my hair, "If you would let me finish I would tell you."

Jason smiled and sat down on the bed next to me. "Fine, I promise to be quiet until you tell me you're finished."

I chuckled, _somehow I doubt that._ "Anyway, Percy and I went back to his cabin to talk. He apologized for kissing me," I saw Jason open his mouth to interrupt, and covered it with my hand. "You said that you would let me finish." Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded at me and I removed my hand. "I told him that it was fine and he told me why he did it..."

"He better have a dam good excuse." I gave him a disbelieving look, and he covered his own mouth, "Sorry."

I took a deep breath, "Percy... Percy has a crush on me." I could hear the incredulous note in my own voice.

I turned and saw Jason staring at me with an open mouth. I vaguely wondered if that was how I had looked when Percy said it. Eventually he managed to croak out a single word. "What?"

_Yep, I definitely looked exactly like that._ I felt a small smile appear on my face. "That's exactly what I said."

I tried my best not to laugh but after an entire minute had passed with no response I gave in. My laughter seemed to wake Jason out of whatever kind of stupor he was in.

He looked at me with a serious gaze. "Percy has a crush on you?"

I tried to speak but the way he was looking at me made me freeze. I just nodded my head.

"And Percy actually told you this, in words?"

His gaze was making me nervous. I had to force myself to speak, "Yes."

He blinked twice and the biggest smile I had ever seen spread across his face. "NICO THAT'S AWESOME!"

Before I could even respond he jumped up and wrapped me in a hug. Usually I would have pulled away and taken a swing at him but I was too happy to care at the moment. Somehow telling Jason had made Percy's confession seem all the more real.

"Nico I'm so happy for you!" Jason was chuckling but I couldn't respond because I was laughing just as hard. "I can't believe it!"

I shook my head, "Me either."

ΩΩΩ

It took a while but eventually we calmed down enough to continue speaking. Both of us still had gigantic smiles on our faces.

"So that's why you've been so happy these past two day." I nodded to the son of the sky god. "Actually that explains something else too..."

I felt my eyebrows pull together, "What does it explain?"

"Well a few hours ago Piper told me she saw the two of you kissing."

I felt myself blush, "We weren't kissing." Out the corner of my eye I saw Jason giving me a disbelieving look. "Well... we almost kissed, but Piper came along."

Jason started to laugh. "So I'm just going to go ahead and guess that's what you were thinking about up on deck when you had that dreamy look in your eye. Am I right?"

I felt my face get even warmer and I looked down to hide my blush. "Not even close."

"Sure I'm not. And that's why I could fry an egg on your face at the moment, right?"

I buried my head in my hands. How is it possible that one's best friend could embarrass one so much? There should be a law against it. "Shut up."

Jason laughed shook his head in disbelief. "Seriously though, I can't wrap my head around it. I always thought Percy was straight... But I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that he's not. You deserve a chance at love."

I felt myself blush. "I haven't exactly told him how I feel about him yet."

Jason looked shocked, "What, why not?"

"I didn't want to freak him out. He has a crush on me, and though that makes me happier than I could possibly put into words, he's not in love with me. If I told him exactly how much I care for him he would run. I will not lose this chance."

Jason looked at me for a moment and nodded. "Well then, you know what we have to do right?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"We have to make him fall in love with you."

I looked at the golden boy in surprise, "We?"

"Yes we, I'm not going to let you do it alone."

"Forgive me for saying so, but how are you going to help? I appreciate the thought, but neither of us are what anyone would call love experts."

"True, but I'm dating Piper. Whether she tries to bury her instincts or not, she's the daughter of the love goddess. I'm sure she has those abilities in there somewhere." Jason smiled at me, "Nico, it's time to call in the reinforcements."


	19. Chapter 19

**This is a shorter chapter but I am making it up to everyone by doing a double update. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I was reluctant to tell anyone else how I felt about Percy. I wasn't convinced that we would be able to get Percy to fall for me but Jason refused to listen. Eventually I gave in and agreed to tell Piper, Hazel, and Frank. I trusted them with my life but I was used to hiding my emotions. I was forced to concede when Jason pointed out that if I was able to get Percy to fall for me they would figure it out anyway. I was okay with the idea of letting them figure it out on their own but he had argued that if I really wanted it to work, my best chance was to ask for help.

As much as I didn't want anyone else to know in case I failed, I wanted to be with Percy far more.

I headed to Hazels room as Jason went to go and grab Piper.

Hazel was sitting on her bed with her head on Franks shoulder. She already looked far better than she had a few hours previous but her skin still had a slight green tinge.

While waiting for Jason to show up I felt quite anxious. He had asked me if I had wanted to talk to them all separately but I had decided that I would much rather only go through it once. I could feel my ADHD kick in and I had to force myself to stand still. Whenever I got nervous I felt the need to move. It was all I could do to resist the urge to pace.

When the door opened and Jason and Piper came in, I felt myself entering a new stage of panic. It was bad enough when I had no choice but to admit my feelings in front of Jason, it was the only way that we could save Percy. To freely admit it to my closest friends, I would be forced to risk all of them rejecting me. I could feel the shadows beginning to stir in response to my mood.

"Nico, it's okay." Jason put his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me.

I pulled out from under his hand and took a deep breath. I tried to believe that they wouldn't care but it was hard. Hazel had been born in the same age as I had; we were both raised to believe that two men being in a relationship was unacceptable. I was terrified that I would lose my sister. She was the closest thing I still had to a family and the thought of her rejecting me was agonizing.

"Nico, what's wrong?" I looked up and saw Hazel looking at me. "Please tell me. Whatever it is I will be here for you."

It was almost as if she was reading my mind. The way she was looking at me gave me the strength that I needed. I knew that I needed to act quickly before I lost whatever power she had given to me. I decided to forgo any attempt at a speech. I took a deep breath and blurted, "I'm in love with Percy."

Frank and Pipers faces were identical. Their jaws dropped in surprise, and at the same moment they both asked, "What?"

I don't know exactly what I had expected Hazel to do but I had never imagined that she would smile at me and laugh. She forced herself to stand regardless of how ill she felt, and wrapped me in a hug. "Oh Nico, I already knew. Thank you for telling me."

I was floored. "What do you mean you already knew?"

She pulled back enough that she could see my face. "I saw the way you look at him. I used to think that you were in love with Annabeth but after she left, I realized that it was never her who had your attention."

I couldn't seem to make my brain accept her reaction as reality. "And you're okay with it?"

She shuffled a little but she once again met my gaze. "At first I didn't know how to react. But after a while I realized something... I just want you to be happy. It shouldn't matter who you like. You're my brother and I love you regardless."

I shook my head. I had been so terrified of her reaction; I couldn't even wrap my head around it. She started to wobble a little on her feet and I helped her back to the bed.

She laughed a little at my stunned expression. "Are you going to say anything?"

"I don't know what to say," I admitted. "I had expected you to insult me; instead you tell me your fine with the idea of me being in love with another man. I feel like I'm having an out of body experience. Why didn't you say anything?"

Hazel smiled and kissed my forehead. "Because I knew you weren't ready for anyone else to know. I wanted to wait until you told me."

I felt myself smile. I reached out and squeezed her hand. I could never have imagined that she would take the news so well. I didn't even know how to respond. I met her gaze and heard someone clear their throat. I looked around to realize that Frank and Piper were still looking at me with shocked expressions.

I nervously scratched my neck. Hazel had accepted me but I still didn't know what they thought of my confession. Piper raised her hand. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow granting her permission to speak.

"You're in love with Percy, as in... our Percy?"

I bit my lip, "Yes."

She blinked a few times before she shrugged. "That's cool."

Before I could even react to her anti-climactic response, Frank spoke. "That's fine man. I don't mind."

I looked between my two friends in shock. I had been so nervous about telling them and they were acting like it was no big deal. "Really, you don't care that I'm..." I found that I couldn't bring myself to say the word. "It doesn't bother you that I like guys?"

Piper smiled at me, "Why would it bother me? Almost every single one of my brothers is gay. Love is love, you can't control who you fall for."

Frank nodded in agreement. "You're still you, it doesn't matter who you like."

I was completely stunned. I was blindsided by how accepting everyone was being. Jason had tried to convince me that no one would care but I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the idea that this was really happening.

"The one thing I want to know," Piper caught my gaze and smiled. "Does Percy know how you feel about him?"

I felt myself blush. I wasn't positive that I could respond so I was quite grateful that Jason did it for me. "It's a long story but that's sort of what we need your help with." Our friends turned to face the son of Jupiter as he spoke. "Percy knows that Nico has feelings for him but he doesn't know how strong they are. However, in an interesting turn of events, Percy has recently begun to develop feelings for him. If Nico outright told Percy the way that he told you, I think we can all agree, he would react poorly." I watched as they all nodded their heads in agreement.

"So what do you need us to do?" Hazel asked in confusion.

Jason smiled and scratched his neck. "Well, we need a way to make Percy fall in love with Nico, and since that's not exactly either of our strong suits..."

Piper's eyebrows shot up into her hair, "So in other words, you have no idea what you're doing."

Jason smiled sheepishly at his girlfriend, "Pretty much, ya."

Hazel laughed and Piper grinned deviously. "Oh this is going to be fun."

ΩΩΩ

Frank decided that he couldn't contribute mush to the conversation so he went up on deck to help keep watch and also to ensure that Percy didn't come looking for everyone.

The four of us spent a few hours trying to brainstorm possible ideas... and by the four of us I mean Jason bouncing continuously more outlandish idea's off of me while Piper and Hazel tried to come up with the realistic ones. I admired Jason's enthusiasm but when he suggested stranding the two of us alone together in an igloo in Alaska I decided that we had better just leave the planning to the girls.

So far all they had come up with was changing the schedule around so that I was almost always working with Percy.

I learned a few things during our conversation. For example, the fact that Percy had once told Hazel that he thought I was one of the strongest demigods alive. I had also discovered that Percy's cabin was right next door to mine. I tried, and failed, not to blush at the implication in Piper's expression when she told me.

I forced an immediate topic change.

Just before we were about to give up for the evening Jason had a surprisingly good idea. "Hey I've got one," the three of us just rolled our eyes.

"Baby, we've already told you... releasing a manticore in the hold of the ship and getting Nico to swoop in and save Percy is not a good plan."

"No, no, not that... Another idea, this one is really good."

Piper and I shared a skeptical look. "Okay, what is it."

"Nico, remember how impressed he was the other day when the two of us were fighting? Why don't you two spar together? You can tell him that you want to train and when he sees how powerful you are he will once again be amazed."

I was astonished. Piper, Hazel, and I looked at each other. "That's actually a pretty good idea..."

I ran a hand through my hair and gave the golden boy a small smile. "That could actually work... Good idea Grace."


	20. Chapter 20

**Here is the second half of the double update. LOL I am really excited for this chapter. There's lots of Percico and oblivious Percy. :-) I hope you enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I was enjoying the sun of the early evening. It had been surprisingly quiet all day. Ever since the fall of Gaia, there had been fewer monster attacks. Of course that made sense as most of the monsters would still be regenerating after the final battle. The only monsters I had to fight of had been a few storm spirits and one harpy that had just become to annoying to ignore.

My ADHD was starting to kick in from doing nothing for most of the day. I was hoping that someone would come and relieve me soon so that I could go do something more entertaining. I wasn't used to having to stay in the same place for hours on end. At first it had been fun because everyone was on deck, either chatting or wobbling around. But after everyone had gone below deck, I began to get bored. I could only look at the landscape rolling along below us for so long.

I was surprised that the deck had been so empty all day. Frank had come up to keep watch with me but I missed chatting with Nico. I hadn't seen him all afternoon. I guessed that he was probably taking care of his sister as her boyfriend was on deck with me.

I liked Frank but he was being strangely quiet and kept sending me odd glances. I couldn't seem to decipher what was going on in his head.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, when I looked up I saw Jason and Nico coming on deck. I instantly felt myself smile. Jason looked at me for a moment before saying something I couldn't hear to Frank. Frank nodded and headed below deck, probably to sit with Hazel.

Nico walked towards the front of the deck before drawing his sword. I watched as he started to dissect one of the targets that we had set up for practice.

I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Jason walking up to me. "Hey, do you want a break? It's probably pretty boring standing in the same spot all day."

I winced, "You have no idea." I smiled and stepped back as the son of Jupiter took the helm. "Thanks man, I was going crazy."

Jason just laughed. "I bet."

I stood still for a moment trying to decide what I wanted to do. I was contemplating going and unpacking my bags but that didn't sound very appealing. My eyes drifted over to where Nico was now gutting a second straw warrior.

I shrugged to myself as I went to join him. Practice sounded far more fun to me that more work did.

I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and went to one of the dummies that was still intact. I felt myself moving with practiced actions as I systematically dismembered the target.

"So, on a scale from one to math class, how bored are you right now?"

I turned and smiled at the son of Hades, "Honestly? Math class sounds fun at the moment."

Nico smiled and let out a small chuckle, "You poor soul."

I laughed; it wasn't very often that I was able to see Nico this happy. I had been really worried that my confession the other day would make him feel really awkward around me. I was pleased to see that it seemed to have the opposite effect. He seemed more relaxed around me than he had in the past.

I knew that we would have to talk about everything but I was more than okay with putting off that conversation until he brought it up.

Nico tilted his head and his smile widened a little, "So are you bored enough to spar?"

I was surprised by the request. I very seldom had anyone but the Ares cabin challenge me. People tended to avoid fighting with me and Nico had never shown interest training with me before. "Are you sure?"

"Ya, I want to train and these straw targets just aren't up to the challenge."

I smiled, I loved sparing and Nico would be a worthy opponent. I would never say no to a good challenge. "I would love to."

I stepped back as we took our starting positions. "Okay, no powers right?"

I nodded to the son of Hades, "Agreed. I think the Hephaestus cabin would have our hides if we broke the ship."

He smiled as he raised his sword.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

At the same moment we launched towards each other. His sword swept towards my head. I easily blocked it as I attempted to land a kick against his chest. He spun out of the way and brought the handle of his sword down towards my head. I ducked into a backwards somersault as I rolled under the attack.

I jumped to my feet just in time to dodge the kick he aimed at my knee. I stepped into him and used the close proximity to elbow him in the stomach. He fell back a step as I tried to press my advantage. He faked a slash to the left and tried to knee me in the stomach. I barely managed to avoid the attack and I countered with a slash at his leg. He deflected it and went back on the offensive.

I tried to block all of his strikes but immediately after each attack his next move followed. He managed slip a kick past my guard that sent me stumbling backwards. Before he had a chance to press his advantage I launched back at him. I faked a swing towards his head as I brought my leg up to kick his chest. He pulled back quickly but before he could react I swung towards his sword arm. He deflected most of the blow but I felt the edge of my sword graze his shoulder.

"Di Immortals," I smiled at his cuss.

I couldn't help taunting him a little. "Ah, ah, Nico, watch your language."

Nico gave me a dark look and stepped back into the fight.

I was right, Nico was good. It had been a long time since I had fought an opponent of his caliber. He was matching me blow for blow. I felt myself panting from the exertion. I knew that I needed to end this fight soon.

I felt him land a hard kick on my shoulder. I winced at the pain. He stepped forward to press his advantage and I blocked his sword with my own. Using one of the first moves that I had ever been shown, I spun my blade and disarmed him.

Before he could react I had Riptide at his throat. He looked stunned.

I smiled at him as I lowered my sword. I noticed that he was also panting and had sweat streaming down his face.

He shook his head at me, "Really? That was a beginner disarming move."

I laughed, "It worked, didn't it? Besides, sometimes simple is better."

He reached down and picked up his sword, "I can't believe that I was disarmed by that."

I returned Riptide to my pocket. "Forget about in Nico. If I had tried to use a more advanced move you would have instantly caught on and it wouldn't have worked." I winced as I moved my shoulder. I pulled up the collar or my shirt so I could have a better look at my arm. I could already see a dark bruise forming from where Nico had kicked me. "Besides, you were amazing. My arm feels like I was kicked by a horse. Don't feel bad, that was one of the most difficult fights I've been in for quite some time."

I looked up and saw Nico blushing as he put his sword back in its sheath. I smiled, I wasn't sure as to why he was blushing but I couldn't help but think how cute it was. I looked and noticed his right shoulder. From where my sword had grazed him, I could see the blood beginning to stain his arm beneath the edge of his shirt.

"You're hurt." He raised an eyebrow at me and I felt foolish for stating the obvious. I smiled as I rubbed my shoulder. "Come on; let's get to the sick bay."

"I can make it on my own."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you could, but that's not the point. One, I hurt you so I should help. And two, my shoulder is killing me; I could use some ambrosia myself."

Nico glanced at me and looked away nodding.

I led the way to the sick bay and made him sit on the bed as I went to get bandages. "Take off your shirt."

"What?" I looked at Nico. By the way he said it you would have sworn I had just asked him to commit an indecent act.

I felt my eyebrows pull together. "I can't exactly bandage your arm with you t-shirt covering it can I?"

As I watched a dark flush covered his face. "Its fine I can do it."

I shook my head. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why he was reacting like he was. "I'm already here; I might as well help you. What would the point be in doing it yourself?"

Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times before looking away. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck as I continued to grab the bandaged I would need.

I set the supplies on the counter next to him. "Are you going to take off your shirt already or do you need me to help you with it?"

I had thought that there was no way his blush could have gotten any brighter but at my suggestion he entered a whole new level of red.

He bit his lip and pulled off his shirt. His hand instinctively tried to cover his torso and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I rubbed the back of my neck as I pulled his right arm straight so I could examine his injury.

I quickly cleaned up the blood and discovered that though the cut wasn't very deep, it was quite a bit longer than I had originally believed. I grabbed the bandages and tape to wrap his wound. The slash wasn't life threatening but because of where it was I was required to wrap his upper torso in gauze to keep the bandage from falling off.

When I had to move his other arm away from his chest in order to wrap under it, Nico closed his eyes. I smiled at his reaction. Even though I couldn't understand it, it was quite amusing. I shook my head.

As I started to wrap the bandages, I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering down his chest. I hadn't realized that I had never seen him without a shirt before. I was surprised to see that, while he was still slight, he was actually fairly muscular. Not in the huge muscles from working our all day way, but his torso and arms had obvious definition.

I felt myself blush. I was suddenly very glad that Nico had his eyes closed. I didn't think that he would have appreciated me ogling his body. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what I was doing.

I tried to not check him out but I found that was surprisingly difficult. I couldn't stop my gaze from raking down his frame a few times.

I had found myself on multiple occasions thinking of how cute Nico was but I had never before found myself thinking of his as sexy, but without his shirt on, that's what he was. He looked older and, well, hot.

I finished bandaging his arm and cleared my throat to let him know that he could open his eyes. I turned around and grabbed some ambrosia for the two of us. By the time I had turned back around he had already put his shirt back on.

As I handed him his ambrosia, I tried to quell my strange sense of disappointment. It apparently didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Nico gave me a self-conscious look, "What?"

I blushed and looked away, "Nothing." I ate my ambrosia in hopes of ending the conversation.

It was not successful.

"It's clearly not, nothing. You're looking at me funny."

I felt my blush brighten. I really did not want to lie to Nico but I really didn't want to tell him the truth either. I looked into his dark brown eyes and sighed; _I suppose being truthful is more important._ "Sorry, it's just... I've never seen you without a shirt on before."

He blushed deeply and looked down, He mumbled something but I couldn't understand it.

I didn't really want to continue my train of thought. He looked upset by what I had said but I wanted to be completely honest with him. "You're... far more muscular than I would have thought."

Nico's eyes shot up to mine and I felt myself blush just as deeply as him. He sounded very confused, "What?"

I had to break eye contact, "I just never realized before..." I felt as though my face would burst into flames but I forced myself to be completely honest. "You're kind of sexy."


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry for the wait. :-) This chapter took me a long time. I'm not sure as to why but some chapters are harder to write than others. I hope you enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

The instant the words were out of my mouth it was all I could do to stop myself from hitting my head off the wall. I had never felt as idiotic as I did at that moment. It had sounded so much better in my head than it had out loud.

_Way to sound like a creeper Percy..._ I grimaced. "That came out wrong... what I meant is... well..." I was surprised that my heart could still beat given how much of my blood was in my face. I was mortified. I couldn't bring myself to look at the son of Hades.

"What... you, um..." I heard Nico clear his throat.

I gave myself a mental face-palm. He sounded so incredibly uncomfortable. _What, I hadn't freaked him out enough with my confession so I decided to finish the job?_

I coughed and stepped back. "I should, um... I have to unpack. See you."

I practically ran from the room. I felt like a coward but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I couldn't bring myself to stay and explain my brainless comment to Nico. Once again my mouth had gotten ahead of my mind and I ended up making a fool of myself.

I didn't stop until I was in my cabin with the door locked behind me. I collapsed on the bed and buried my face in my hands. Every time it seemed that Nico and I were starting to get along I would go and do something completely foolish.

I couldn't wrap my head around why he wasn't avoiding me already. First I kiss him, then I confess my feelings, and now I told him he was sexy...

_Gods kill me now._

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I watched as Percy practically tripped over himself to get away from me. I felt like I should tell him it was alright but I was shell shocked.

I shook my head. Remembering his comment I felt myself blush again... _'I never realized before... You're kind of sexy.'_

Percy never seemed to act how I expected him too. I had hoped that by sparring with him I might be able to impress him, instead he kicked my ass. I thought taking off my shirt would make him think I looked like a child... instead he says that I'm sexy?

I couldn't see it. If it wasn't for the fact that he was so embarrassed about saying it I would have thought he was lying. I was tiny; you could practically see my ribs. It didn't matter how much I ate, I was always far too thin. Ya, I had some muscle definition but I definitely wasn't as muscular as Percy or Jason. I thought my body looked like a starving ten year old. Why would anyone think I was hot?

I shook my head. It was far easier to believe that he was simply lying to me than it was to believe he actually found me attractive.

I had no idea what to do with the knowledge Percy had given me. I ran a hand through my hair and tried to think. All I could focus on was the feeling of Percy's hands on my chest as he bandaged my shoulder.

I needed help.

I sighed and went to go change. I had no intention of wearing a dirty, holey, shirt for the rest of the evening. At least it wasn't one of my favorites.

ΩΩΩ

Once I had a clean shirt on I went to find Jason. I went up on deck and saw Piper and Jason talking together. Piper looked up and waved me over.

"How'd it go?"

I had to hide a smile; Piper was always right to the point. I lifted a hand to run it through my hair only to stop when I felt a shot of pain through my shoulder. I held back a wince and sighed. "It didn't go exactly as planned."

Jason frowned, "What happened to your arm?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, "You didn't see?"

Jason smiled at me, "I wasn't watching. I was trying to give you guys some privacy."

I was touched by his answer. I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised by how much he cared. I felt my lips twitch in a small smile. He seemed to want me and Percy together almost as much as I did. "Well, he beat me. In the process he managed to cut my shoulder."

Piper frowned at me, "Are you okay?"

I shrugged, "I will be fine it's not that bad."

"So what happened?"

I sighed; I wasn't used to Piper knowing my secret. It was still a little disconcerting to talk about him in front of her. I forced myself to ignore her and tell them. If anyone would know what to do with Percy's reaction it was the two of them. "We went to the sick bay and he wrapped up my shoulder. He... had me take of my shirt so he could work. After everything was said and done I put my shirt back on only for Percy to tell me that..." I felt myself start to blush again. I cleared my throat and forced myself to continue. "That he thought I was um... well, kind of sexy."

Their eyes got really wide for a moment and then they both burst out laughing. I tried not to be offended but to have two of your friends laugh at the thought of someone calling you sexy was a little hurtful. I narrowed my eyes at them and looked away.

The son of Jupiter clearly saw my reaction. "No Nico," Jason tried to stop himself from laughing. "Were not making fun of you I promise. It's just, that is such a Percy reaction."

I glared at him. "How exactly is that a 'Percy reaction'?"

Piper smiled, still trying to get a hold of her laughter, "It's exactly like him to say something like that. He is just the kind of person that says the first thing that comes to his head."

Jason nodded and wiped his eyes. "Most of us would have found a better way to put it. Would I be correct in guessing that those were Percy's exact words?"

I felt myself blush even brighter than before. I didn't believe that I had ever blushed that much before. "Pretty much..."

Jason started to laugh again and I could see Piper trying her best to hold it in. "Well there is a plus side to Percy's impulsiveness, you don't need to try to dissect his words to figure out what he's thinking."

Jason smiled and forced himself to stop laughing. "This is a really good thing though."

I scoffed and gave him a disbelieving look. "How exactly is me getting my butt kicked and then being embarrassed a good thing?"

Piper shook her head at me, "You're so oblivious sometimes, no wonder you like Percy so much."

"Hey..." I glared at the daughter of Aphrodite.

"Oh be quiet you two." Jason rolled his eyes. "Nico, we already know that he likes hanging out with you. Now he tells you that you're sexy, which mean that he's attracted to you. The plan went over even better than we could have hoped."

I frowned at the comment. "I thought the purpose of the plan was to impress Percy."

"Well you did impress him in a way, just not the way we planned it." I was about to interrupt Piper when she continued. "Besides, impressing him wasn't exactly the goal in the first place."

I felt my forehead scrunch in confusion. "Then what was the goal?"

Jason smiled at me. It was a little weird the way that they seemed to be able to finish each others thoughts. "The point of the plan was to get Percy to start thinking about you in a different light. If you had impressed him with your fighting he would have thought about what a good fighter you were every time he saw you practicing. Instead, from now on when he sees you he's hopefully going to be thinking how attractive you look. And that is even better."

"Why would we want Percy thinking about how I look?"

"Can you honestly tell me that the thought of Percy thinking about how sexy you look is unappealing to you?"

I looked away and tried to hide my blush. After all the time I had spent thinking about Percy, I would be lying to say that the thought of him thinking about me in that way wasn't tempting. "I guess."

Piper smiled at me. "Trust me; the plan may have taken a different direction than we hoped but it still worked. So after he told you, what did you say?"

"I didn't really get a chance to say anything. He started blushing like crazy and practically ran away from me."

Jason frowned. "Well we can't leave it like that. He's probably embarrassed. Besides, today is going far too well to stop now." Jason scratched his neck and looked at me critically. "Has he seen you since he told you?"

I furrowed my brow, "No, why?"

Piper smiled as she looked at her boyfriend. "Good idea, where was this side of you earlier?"

Jason smiled and put his arm around her. "I'm not sure. The dastardly side of my mind comes and goes."

Piper started to laugh. "Hey, are you guys going to tell me what's going on."

The two of them turned to me with identical evil smiles on their faces. I had to resist the urge to take a step back.


	22. Chapter 22

**Yay, so much Percico in this chapter... how exciting. :-) haha I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter. I sure had fun writing it.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

Piper dragged me back to her cabin where she had started digging through her clothes. Piper and Jason decided that if Percy found me attractive then they were going to make sure he kept thinking about it. I wasn't sure that I agreed with their plan. Ya, he had said it once but it was more likely a onetime thing. I would have rather just let it go but when I suggested it, Piper smacked me in the back of the head and told me to shut up and do as I was told.

For a child of Aphrodite that girl could be scary.

It made me fairly uncomfortable to learn that Piper and I were practically the same size. I had always known I was scrawny but I hadn't thought it was that bad. Fortunately for me at least Piper seemed to own as many guy shirts as girl ones so at least she wouldn't be trying to force me to wear something pink. I shivered as I imagined her siblings trying to dress me. I drew the line at anything remotely girly.

Eventually Piper had found one of her shirts that according to her 'fit my personality'. I reluctantly took the shirt she handed me and went to change. She had also forced me to change my pants but at least she let me wear a pair of my own jeans.

I stepped out into the hallway and Piper started to circle me. I have faced down monsters so terrifying that the sight alone would be enough to drive most mortals insane but I had never felt as much like prey as I did at that moment. The way she was evaluating me had me resisting the urge to wrap my arms around my body.

"What?" I looked down at myself.

I was wearing my favorite pair of black skinny jeans. They were tight without restricting movement. I had never understood why some people would wear pants so tight they couldn't walk properly. I had always been a believer in comfortable clothing. The t-shirt Piper had given me was thankfully black. I would have preferred it to be plain but I could live with the dark blue graphic designs. It was just an abstract pattern. Though my pants were comfortable I felt that the shirt was a little to snug. I was used to slightly looser shirts and Piper's t-shirt seemed too tight.

"Are you certain that this shirt isn't too tight?"

Piper smiled at me. "Positive. Trust me Nico, you look really good." She stepped up to me and started messing with my hair. I stepped back and glared at her but she just stepped forwards and went back to what she was doing. "Stop throwing a hissy fit, you look hot. Trust me, Percy will appreciate the effort."

I glared at the floor and tried my best not to blush at her comment. "I fail to see why I'm doing this."

Piper smiled at me as she looked me over one last time. "Simple, you want Percy and we want to see both of you happy."

"And this achieves that how?" I felt ridiculous. I looked down at myself and shook my head.

Piper rolled her eyes, "Just say thank you already."

I sighed, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go talk to your man."

I felt my face heat up as I glared at the daughter of the love goddess. I must have been losing my touch as she just laughed and walked away.

I contemplated running but I knew Piper would just drag me back here.

I walked to Percy's door and took a deep breath. I shook my head and knocked before I could lose my nerve.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy's POV**

I woke up to someone knocking on my door. I didn't remember falling asleep in the first place. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:00 pm. I groaned as I rolled out of bed. I had been having a fairly nice dream involving a certain black haired son of the underworld.

I walked to the door and stretched as I opened it. I wasn't certain as to who I thought it would be but I was shocked when I saw the son of Hades waiting for me.

He looked at me for a moment before looking down with a faint blush on his cheeks. Seeing him brought back the memories of this afternoon.

I dropped my arms and felt myself blush. "Hey." Nico glanced at me and nodded. _Oh gods does he look nervous._ I sighed and looked away. I needed to apologize, "Listen Nico, I um..."

Nico shuffled his feet, "Can I come in?"

I glanced at him in surprise before I stepped out of the way so that he could enter. I was contemplating leaving the door open in case I needed to make a hasty retreat but I decided I really didn't want the rest of the ship knowing about my idiotic statement. I closed the door and turned to him. I was slightly embarrassed by the state of my cabin and quickly made my bed so that we would have somewhere to sit. We had been flying for less than a day and already my room was a pigsty.

"Sorry about the mess."

Nico shrugged and sat down. "It's okay." I saw his eyes drift to my suitcase at the end of the bed. "I thought you were going to unpack?"

I blushed even brighter as I sat down next to him. "I fell asleep."

Nico glanced at me only to look away again. I couldn't help but think of my observation from earlier in the day. With his attention elsewhere I found my eyes raking down his body just to see if I really did find him as attractive as I had previously.

I had to keep myself from gasping aloud.

I had never seen Nico dress like that before. He usually wore lose fitting t-shirts that would make him look even younger and smaller that he really was. The shirt he had on clung to his body like a second skin. The tight black material made the definition of his muscles rather evident. He still wore the same type of jeans that he normally did but, paired with the form fitting shirt, the outfit looked completely different. I had never been as attracted to anyone as I was to him at that moment. He was more striking to me than Aphrodite. With his slightly messy black hair and pale skin, the combination made him look like an Italian rock star.

The overall effect was quite tantalizing.

I swallowed and looked away. The usual cute looking Nico was nowhere to be found. The way he looked right now was 100% the sexy Nico from earlier. It was going to be a lot harder to keep myself from blurting out idiotic things if he kept dressing like that.

I took a deep breath and tried to derail of that train of thought.

I glanced at him but had to look away again. My mouth felt went dry. I was surprised by how nervous I felt around him suddenly. I started playing with a loose thread on my comforter just so that I wouldn't have to look at him when I spoke. "I... I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." _My mouth sometimes gets ahead of my brain..._

"It's okay, I...didn't mind."

I looked up at him and saw that he looked just as nervous as I did. I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to stop doing foolish things around him. "No, it's not okay. I told you when we decided to continue, whatever this is, that I wouldn't do anything that made you uncomfortable. And I broke my word." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I could never seem to do right by the son of Hades. Why did I always end up acting like an idiot around him?

"Trust me Percy; I am not holding that against you." I risked a glance as him and saw a faint blush on his cheek.

_Great, like he needed to look any more appealing..._

No wonder I always ended up acting like an idiot. Lately whenever Nico came around my brain seemed to think that it was the perfect time to take a break. I couldn't control my thoughts around him and I couldn't figure out why. I had never gone through this stage with any of my previous crushes.

I looked at him before I realized that he had asked me something. I shook my head; I would have to think about my reaction at a later date. "Sorry, what did you say? I zoned out for a moment there."

Nico tilted his head slightly and our gazes locked. His eyes were such a dark brown that I could hardly see where his iris ended and his pupil started. His eyes were so incredibly deep; they seemed to go on forever. I felt myself beginning to get sucked into their depth and had to look away. I coughed and hesitantly looked back at him, forcing myself to not zone out again.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

I felt the blood rush to my face. _Hum, to lie or to tell the truth..._ I winced. Neither option was very good. I sighed, "I doubt that you want to hear it."

I saw him frown, "Why would you think that?"

I chuckled humorlessly. "Please, let's just change topics? I think I've embarrassed us both enough for today."

He was silent for a moment before he shrugged. "Alright, I will let it go for now, but honestly Percy, I want to hear everything you have to say." By the time he had finished his statement his face was even darker than mine.

I smiled at him, "Somehow I doubt that. So what can I help you with? I'm sure you came here for something."

Nico looked down and bit his lip. "I just wanted to talk to you. You ran away earlier before I had the chance." He looked up at me and I had to force myself to remain still. The urge to lean towards him was fairly strong. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I... I didn't mind what you said."

I frowned at him. I truly wanted to believe him but I couldn't. "I'm sorry but I don't believe you. You looked incredibly uncomfortable when I said how... when I said that." I felt a faint blush appear on my checks. I had nearly told him again just how sexy he looked.

"I swear I am being honest, it's just that I'm not really used to compliments."

I thought about what he said and I could understand that. Too many people judged him simply based on who his father was. "Oh..." It aggravated me to hear that, Nico had so many great features. "That's unfair. You shouldn't be so unused to compliments that you feel awkward when you receive one."

He shrugged, "Its fine, I'm used to it." I frowned and looked at him intently. He may have thought that was fine but I didn't. My thoughts must have been pretty clear on my face. Nico rolled his eyes, "Forget it, I said I'm fine. Come on Percy. Let's go grab dinner."

I sighed and stood up. I reached out a hand to pull Nico to his feet. When he grabbed my hand I felt a strange stirring begin in my chest. I was trying to figure out what it was but Nico gave my hand a tug and pulled me towards my door. It was just another thing to think of when I found the time.

I reached around him to open the door and he turned towards me with a smile.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. The way he was smiling, combined with the way he was dressed, nearly overcame my self-control. Having him standing that close to me with his back against the door, I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against mine again.

I found myself tracing his cheek bone with the tips of my fingers and felt my gaze drop to his mouth.

I licked my lips. I could feel myself leaning towards him. His eyes went wide but he didn't even try to move. I could still feel his lips against mine from the first time I had kissed him. I wanted to try it again. It had lead to many discoveries about how I felt for him. I wanted to kiss him; perhaps it would help me figure out my current feelings...

I hesitated for a moment. That wasn't right. I shouldn't have wanted to kiss him to discover my feelings. It wouldn't be fair of me to play with his emotions that way.

It took all of my self-restraint to pull away. I took a deep breath and stepped back. I looked at him and saw something that almost looked like disappointment in his eyes. I swallowed against the feelings in my chest.

We couldn't start anything right then. The two of us had things that we needed to discuss and I knew that I wasn't sure how I felt. I refused to risk hurting him. I found myself making a silent vow that I would not kiss him again, not until I knew exactly what I felt for him.

I took a shuttering breath and grabbed his hand. "Come on, they will be waiting for us."


	23. Chapter 23

**Haha, sorry about the almost kiss... That seemed to really upset all of you. LOL I promise I have a plan. It will be worth the wait. Trust me. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

For some reason it seemed as though I was always working with Nico. Even when we were not working together, it seemed to be one of our breaks so we could still hang out. I wasn't certain as to how it had happened but I was glad. I definitely wasn't complaining about spending extra time with the son of Hades. I had learned so much about him over the last two days.

I was incredibly happy that Nico seemed to finally be letting me in. I wasn't sure what had changed his mind but it made me happier than I could put into words. He had told me all he could remember about growing up in Italy and in exchange I told him about growing up in New York. He had even told me about all the time that he spent in the underworld. I had learned more about him than I could have ever imagined I would.

I had found myself laughing more freely than I had in years. Nico brought out a side of me that I had thought died the day I learned of the first great prophecy. What pleased me even more than uncovering a hidden side of myself was finding the hidden side of Nico.

It seemed that the longer we spent together, the more his walls fell. I was seeing glimpses of the nerdy, happy, over exited kid that he had been when I first met him.

I found myself thinking more and more about him every day. The more I discovered about him, the more I wanted to learn. I found myself wanting to know everything about him, from the places he's been to the movies he hated and everything in between.

I would have felt rather self-conscious about how curious I was about him if it wasn't for the fact that he seemed just as curious about my life. He seemed just as excited to ask questions as I was. It was like he had kept a list in his brain about what to ask me.

I found I could no longer imagine what my life would be like without him.

As unusual as me and Nico's relationship had become, what we even odder was how none of our friends seemed to comment on it. I wasn't certain as to what had gotten into Jason in the last two days. Ever since me and Nico had started our fake relationship Jason had been giving me dirty looks, like he wanted me nowhere near the son of the underworld. I had grown used to them even if I didn't understand his reason behind them. Over the last two days however he seemed to have had a complete turnaround. Instead of the dirty looks, he seemed to be trying to help Nico and I spend even more time together.

He wasn't even the strangest one. I had Frank offer to steer the ship for a few hours so that Nico and I could spar and Hazel and Piper came and tell us that they had set up a picnic for the two of us in the stables. Nico's face when they said that was priceless. He looked like he was seriously contemplating jumping over the side of the ship.

I was really curious about the changes in behavior but I decided as long as I didn't mind the outcome, I could live without knowing the reasons.

The only one on bored who still seemed to want to get Nico away from me was Ryan. I had expected that though. I was pretty sure if he started trying to help Nico and me it would be the first sign of the apocalypse.

On the few occasions that Nico and I were not able to work together it seemed that Ryan would stop whatever he was doing to go spend time with him. I tried not to let it bother me but it was difficult to focus on whatever I was doing knowing that the son of Apollo was flirting with him.

The only thing that allowed me to keep on task was the knowledge that Nico would only put up with Ryan for so long. The proof of this came out the second day of our quest. Nico and Ryan had been cleaning together and Ryan had apparently tried to kiss him. When they came up to dinner Ryan had a black eye and a busted lip and Nico was looking incredibly smug. Ryan hadn't tried that since.

ΩΩΩ

Nico and I were on night watch together. Frank was steering the ship so Nico and I were simply sitting in the crow's nest on the lookout for monsters. With the exception of a large herd of griffins, the monster attacks had been easily defeated small groups of monsters. We didn't really need to have two people on watch but if I was the only one who was questioning it, I wasn't going to say anything. I enjoyed the excuse to be cuddled up under a quilt with the son of Hades.

The weather was a lot cooler than it had been when we had left for our quest. We had been having an in ordinarily warm winter thus far but, from the chill in the air, I had a feeling that the warm weather was at an end.

I felt Nico stretch and sit up. I looked over at him in time to see him beginning to rub his eyes. No matter how many times I saw him wake up, I still thought that he was the most adorable thing since puppies. I loved the way he would rub his eyes, look at me, and then lean back onto my chest.

Almost like clockwork his eyes met mine and he looked away. I felt my arm tighten around him as he relaxed his head back onto my shoulder. Whenever I saw him with all his defenses down like that, I had to use all of my self control to keep from breaking the promise I made to myself.

No matter how much I wanted to kiss him, I knew that it wasn't right. I wasn't sure how I felt for him and if it was only a crush then it would be cruel of me to get his hopes up. I didn't think I was even capable of being in love with someone other than **her** and it wouldn't be fair to Nico if I was to pretend that I was. I couldn't forgive myself for kissing him again if I would never be able to give him my heart.

Besides, I hadn't forgotten the confession that I had overheard. Nico's heart belonged to someone else too. There was nothing that I would be able to do to make him forget whoever he or she was. I wanted to ask him about it but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

We were both content with each other for now but our hearts belonged elsewhere.

My musings were interrupted by a question.

"So how long was I out?"

I smiled at the boy in my arms. "Not long, only around 20 minutes. Don't worry; I would have woken you if anything had happened."

Nico smiled at me with amusement in his eyes. "Ya right. We both know I can wake up on my own. I'm not the one who slept through that harpy attack last night."

I blushed and tried to defend myself. "You make it sound way worse than it was. There were only four and Jason and Hazel had it completely under control."

Nico laughed and sat up a little straighter. "True, but everyone else still heard it. Then there's you," he adopted a mocking tone, "What attack? I didn't hear anything."

I scoffed, "I don't sound like that and you know it."

Nico just shook his head, "That's not the point. You sleep like the dead. Trust me, I would know."

I shrugged, "There are worse problems to have."

I smiled at him and our gazes locked. Ever since the first day of our quest, I've found myself being drawn into his eyes more and more frequently. I've tried to figure out exactly what shade they were but it was unique to him. They were as dark as coffee but had a warm hue to them.

I saw Nico begin to blush. He broke the eye contact and looked down. I nearly groaned. I was trying my best to restrain myself but he wasn't doing me any favors. In my opinion, Nico blushing was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Forget the great wall, forget the pyramids, the innocent beauty of the son of the Hades topped them all.

I blinked. _Wow... did I really just think that? Since when did I become a poet?_ I shook my head and tried to focus my mind. My ADHD seemed to have only gotten worse during our quest.

I cleared my throat and looked away. I may have not been able to control my mind but at least I had been doing a better job of keeping my thoughts to myself. I hadn't said anything that made me want to crawl into a hole and die in days.

Out the corner of my eye I saw Nico reach out and grab my free hand. I let him take it and he began drawing abstract shapes with his fingers. Or at least I assumed they were abstract. For all I knew he could be writing out the secrets of the universe. I was having a hard time focusing on what he was doing.

I sighed and leaned back. I was in complete bliss. The wind blowing all around us seemed insignificant. With Nico wrapped up in our quilt beside me, I was plenty warm.

I allowed the hand around his shoulders to snake through his hair. I loved the feeling of his silky locks slipping between my fingers. I felt Nico lean his head back onto my chest. I smiled as I continued to play with his hair. I would have been content to sit there all night.

The son of Hades was the only one in the world who was able to both, make my ADHD worse and make me completely unwilling to move. The only time other than our quest when I had felt so utterly at peace was during out non-date.

I loved **her**, I really did, but Nico was the only person who could create this tranquility...

I thought made me pause in my movements for a moment. I couldn't help but wonder as to why that was. As to why no one else was able to give me the same sense of contentment that the son of the underworld could.

I felt Nico move and I once again started running my fingers through his hair. I smiled and leaned my chin on top of his head. It was just another thing I would have to try to figure out.

I wouldn't have minded if we could sit there all night but naturally some idiotic monster was drawn to our scent. That was the biggest problem with having 7 powerful demigods on one ship.

I saw a shadow move across the moon. From the way Nico stiffened I knew that he saw it as well.

We stood up and drew our swords, "So much for enjoying a peaceful evening."

ΩΩΩ

The sun was just beginning to rise.

I was exhausted. Last night had been surprisingly busy. I was grateful that we had an extra person on watch. Between Nico, Frank, and I we hadn't needed to wake anyone else up.

Six harpies, two griffins, and eight storm spirits later and we were all ready to hit the sack.

The fourth day of our quest was shaping up to be an interesting one. All three of us were immensely grateful to Piper and Hazel for relieving us fifteen minutes early.

Frank went directly to bed while Nico and I grabbed a quick bite to eat first. We didn't stay long as Ryan came in shortly after we arrived.

If it wasn't for the fact he was hitting on Nico, I would have felt bad for him. Try as he might, the two of us were both too exhausted to care what he was saying.

We cleaned our plates and headed to our cabins. I ended up walking right past my door without noticing. It was already behind me so I decided I might as well walk Nico the 10 feet to his room.

I smiled as the son of the underworld gave me a sleepy wave. I watched as he yawned and stretched. When he started to rub his eyes I felt my resolve weaken. He looked up at me and froze. I felt myself bite my lip and he started to blush.

It was like he was purposely trying to convince me to kiss him. I took a deep breath but I found myself unable to walk away. I refused to break my promise but the urge to hold the son of Hades was more than I could resist.

I stepped forwards and wrapped my arms around him. I made sure that I didn't hold him too tightly; I wanted him to be able to pull away if he wanted. When I felt his arms wrap around me in return I tightened the embrace. I had wanted to hug him like that for years but I was always afraid that he would push me off.

He fit perfectly in my arms and I leaned my head into his hair. I could smell the scent that was distinctly Nico. It was earthy with a slightly fruity undertone.

I smiled as I took a deep breath. I didn't want to pull away as he was still holding me but I didn't want it to get awkward. I debated with myself before I broke down to temptation.

I pulled back and smiled at him. "Sleep well ghost king."

I leaned down and kissed his cheek. I saw him blush as I took a step back. I smiled at him once more before I turned around and headed back to my room. Right before I closed my door I heard him respond.

"Sweet dreams sea prince."


	24. Chapter 24

**Don't hate me for this chapter... It contains so much sadness. You have been warned. :-(**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

_I was back at camp half blood._

_I wasn't certain as to how I knew that's where I was, all I could see where the trees, I just knew. I also knew that I had to get to the ocean, someone was waiting for me. I started walking. I had no idea where I was exactly but I knew if I kept walking straight I would end up at the beach._

_After an indistinguishable amount of time I broke through the edge of the trees. I could see the big house in the distance but I didn't care. I only wanted to go see the ocean. I skirted the edge of the forest and made my way to the water. I looked around but I knew I wasn't in the right place. This wasn't the beach I was supposed to be on..._

_I pondered it for a moment before I realized that I was supposed to be on the Aphrodite beach. I smiled and continued on my way. As the cove came into view I saw someone sitting on the sand. My heart started to beat faster in my chest._

_I was excited and nervous to see them. The setting sun was casting everything in shadows. I couldn't tell exactly who it was but I was happy. I kicked off my shoes and walked towards the figure. I knelt down in the sand and wrapped my arms around the person. They jumped and spun around._

_It was Nico. I was shocked to see that he had been crying. I raised my hand and wiped away the tears that were on his cheeks._

_He pulled away from me and I felt a pang in my chest. "What are you doing here?"_

_I wasn't entirely certain but my mouth seemed to know what to say. "I'm here for you."_

_Nico looked away. I was saddened by that, I wanted to see his eyes. "What do you want with me?"_

_I smiled and reached a hand out to his chin. I turned his head so that he was once again facing me. I leaned my head forward until our foreheads touched. I closed my eyes and kissed him. I felt him hesitate for a moment before he kissed me back. I shivered at the feeling of his cool lips against mine. After a few minutes I pulled away._

_I had expected Nico to be as happy as I was, but he wasn't. He had tears streaming down his face once more. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Just tell me what you want."_

_I frowned and pulled him into my lap. I kissed his forehead and wiped away his tears. My mouth once again started speaking. "What I want? I would think that's rather obvious. I want you... You, you, and only you..."_

_Nico started to shake his head and pull away but I held him tight, "Why me?"_

_I smiled, "Why you?" I started to kiss him with every statement. "Because you're beautiful, because you're sweet, because you're compassionate, because you're courageous, because you're powerful, because you're cute, because you're loving, because you're kind, because you're sexy, because you're fearless, because you are you..."_

_By the time I had finished Nico had stopped trying to pull away and had wrapped his arms around me like he would never let me go. He still had tears streaming down his face but in order to wipe them away I would have to let go of him and I couldn't do that._

_He looked at me with broken eyes. I could see the hesitation but he forced himself to ask. "What about Annabeth?"_

_I had expected her name to hurt me but I only felt a dull throb in my heart. "She still means a lot to me, she always will, but she's not you. I love you Nico, and I won't give you up. Not for anyone or anything in the world." _

_His eyes widened and I saw fresh tears spring to his eyes. Before I could comment on them I felt him press his mouth to mine. I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of his kiss. I felt a shiver race through my body. He pushed me down so I was lying on my back in the sand. _

_Eventually we had to break for air but we didn't pull away. I felt him brush a tear off my cheek. I wasn't sure if it was mine or his._

_I looked up and saw him smile, wider than I had ever seen before._

_"I love you too my sea prince."_

_I felt his lips on mine once more as my eyes drifted closed._

ΩΩΩ

I sat straight up, panting for air.

I looked around me. I was still on the ship. I was nowhere near camp half blood. I rolled out of bed and went to the washroom. I turned on the sink and splashed cold water on my face.

That dream had been far too realistic for my liking.

I shivered as I recalled the dream; I could still recall the feeling of his lips against mine. _I hope it was only a dream..._

I shook my head. I refused to let that be anything but a dream.

I scrubbed my face trying to rid myself of the illusion. That was all it was, an illusion. Still, that dream freaked me out. There was no way that I would ever leave Annabeth for anyone. I had fallen into Tartarus for her. _Nothing would ever diminish my love for her..._

Even as I thought it, I began to have my doubts. It occurred to me that I was thinking about her but it wasn't causing the pain as it usually did. I tried to think as to why that was but my mind instantly went to Nico.

I felt my heart rate pick up. He was nowhere near me and still he was dulling the pain. I was trying to calm down but I was only succeeding in freaking myself out even more.

Whatever the two of us had together was getting out of hand. I did **not** love Nico. The fact that I had not only been dreaming about confessing my feelings, but that I had dreamt of leaving Annabeth for him, was filling me with dread.

I tried to calm my mind with the knowledge that it was only a dream. The evidence of that was obvious. Even if I ignored the fact that I supposedly left Annabeth, and that I confessed my love for Nico, Annabeth and I weren't together. She left me. By definition I could not leave someone I am not dating and so it had to be a dream.

The twisted logic actually went a long way in calming me down. I had been nervous that it had been a vision. Demigods do get those from time to time. Once I had ruled out a vision and convinced myself that it was just a dream, I no longer felt on the edge of a panic attack.

I closed my eyes as I slid down the wall. Once I hit the ground I proceeded to bury my face in my hands.

That dream had filled me with guilt. I knew it was illogical but I couldn't stop it. It made me think about how **she** would feel if she could see me now.

**She** had left me because it was the only thing she could do, I understood that. So why was I going around flirting with Nico? When it was just pretend I was certain that she would understand, but now? I doubted that she would. Hell, I didn't understand it myself most of the time.

I wished that she was back. I had never needed her as badly as I did at that moment. I felt the urge to try Iris messaging her but I knew that she didn't want me to. She had made me promise that I wouldn't.

I sighed and leaned my head against the wall behind me. That dream had served as a wakeup call. I couldn't keep doing what I was doing. I was only going to hurt everyone in the end. I would hurt Nico by making it seem like I cared for him more than I ever could. I would hurt Annabeth by making her feel betrayed. And I would hurt myself.

I would end up tearing my heart in half. I could already feel that my crush for Nico had grown far stronger. The more I learned about him, the more I found to like in the son of Hades. The pain I felt was indescribable. I closed my eyes tighter and hit my head off the wall. _I am such an idiot..._ I knew that I should have ended it when I had the chance.

I needed to end things with Nico once and for all. The thought of walking away from him now was so much worse that it had been before. It hurt almost as much as when Annabeth had left me.

I grimaced. It seemed that when I had decided to let Nico go I was no longer able to think about **her**.

I frowned and tried to gather the energy to stand. It served me right that I was in pain. I knew that I was about to break Nico's heart. He had finally dropped his defenses and let me in and I was about to undo all of the work that we had accomplished. I wished with all my heart that there was another way but I knew the truth...

I couldn't be without **her**. **She** was going to come back, and I would have to be there with open arms when she did.

It would kill me to walk away now but I knew with absolute certainty, if I didn't break it off with Nico now, it would only be worse when the time came.

ΩΩΩ

I left the washroom and made my way to Nico's cabin. I felt like I had aged 15 years since I went to sleep. I looked at my watch. Had it really only been 3 hours since I stood here with my arms around him?

It felt like I was lifting 200 pounds but I raised my hand and knocked.

After a minute or so, Nico opened the door.

I looked at him and looked away. If I was to look him in the eye there was no way I would be able to go through with it.

He looked adorable with his messy hair and half closed eyes.

"Percy, what's wrong? Are we under attack?" Nico reached to grab his sword but I stopped him with a gentle hand on his wrist.

"No, the ship is fine. I just... we need to talk."

This instant the statement was out of my mouth all traces of sleep disappeared from the son of the underworld.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him pale. I forced myself to look at him and I could see the realization in his eyes. He reached out a hand towards me but I stepped back. The pain that I saw flash across his face was almost enough to break my resolve.

"Please Percy, don't do this..."

"I'm sorry. I just, can't... Annabeth."

The instant I said her name the mask that he had worn for so long snapped back into place. All traces of sadness, pain, it all disappeared back into the angry mask that he had always hidden behind.

I saw him take a deep breath and I saw the pain reappear in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared once more. "You don't need to explain anything. I get it. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to get back to sleep."

I opened my mouth to say something, not that I had anything that I could say, but it was too late. He slammed the door in my face.

As I looked at the door, I couldn't help but feel that I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.


	25. Chapter 25

**Yay, triple update. That's got to make up for the sad chapters, right?**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I refused to let Percy see how much he had hurt me.

I knew that it was coming but like the fool I had always been, I allowed myself to hope. I had hoped that he would stay. I had hoped that he wanted to be with me. I had hoped that one day he could, maybe even, love me...

I should have known better. Hope kills with more certainty than celestial bronze.

I wanted nothing more than to avoid him the rest of my life. I wanted to leave and never look back. I knew that my dad wouldn't mind me moving back with him. Yes I would have to endure Persephone, but I would never have to look into those stupid green eyes again...

But I couldn't. As much as I wished that I could leave, I had to stay. I owed it to Leo to help free Calypso.

I had talked to Jason. He wanted to go beat the crap out of Percy but I refused to let him. If I wanted Percy beat to a bloody pulp, I could do it myself. Besides, no matter how many times he hurt me, no matter how many times he cast me aside like yesterdays garbage, I simply couldn't hurt him. As much as I wished it otherwise, I loved him.

Jason did however, change the work schedule. I was sure Percy noticed but I doubted he cared. He certainly didn't comment on it. I wasn't certain why I had ever believed that he liked me. I guess I was just so desperate to believe it, that I took it at his word.

I shook my head. I had been a fool.

I was sickened at how easily I had been played. The hero of Olympus gives me the slightest bit of attention and I fall at his feet. I was acting no better than one of those air-headed girls back at camp.

I was disgusted at how weak I felt.

I had always been strong enough to survive on my own. Just because I had seen how the rest of the world lived, didn't mean that I was incapable of being the same man I used to be. I was just as powerful and self sufficient as before. I was determined to do it again.

I would show everyone that I was a force to be reckoned with. Not for Percy but for me. To prove to myself that even if I made idiotic choices, I was still able to stand on my own. I had been alone since I was 10 years old and something as insignificant as a broken heart was not going to stop me.

Instead of going back to sleep after he had come to see me, I decided to get to work. I quickly spoke to Jason and went back on deck to keep Hazel company.

It wasn't my best choice. I should have known if anyone would see how deeply I was hurt it would be my sister.

Fortunately, she knows me well. She didn't try to force me to talk, she didn't say everything would be okay; she just wrapped me in a hug and told me that she loved me. I really did have the greatest sister.

The afternoon passed in a blur. After dinner I found myself working with Ryan. I had to admit; when he wasn't flirting with me he was an okay guy. He actually had a really good sense of humor. Plus he had the whole, 'not the son of Poseidon' thing going for him. That automatically made working with him more bearable. Plus, out of the whole ship, he was the only one who didn't seem to care that Percy and I broke up, if you could even call it that.

Truthfully I didn't know how to term what the two of us had. We had never specifically said that we were a couple but at the same time I didn't know what else to call our relationship. I tried to ignore the thought. I was doing my best not to think of him but I had never been very good at it.

I was actually fairly grateful to be working with Ryan. If anyone could get my mind off the son of the sea god, it was him. As we scrubbed the showers he was telling me idiotic jokes to keep me amused.

"So a guy walks into a bar... Ouch."

I rolled my eyes. "That joke is even older than I am."

"Well I don't hear you telling any. If you can't make a joke, then you have no right to insult my comedic genius."

I shook my head and suppressed a smile, "Fine. Knock, knock."

He looked at me in surprise. "Who's there?"

"No one."

"No one who?"

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. It took him far longer than it should have before he started to laugh.

"Oh, that was lame, I love it. I have to tell that one to my siblings."

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch at his reaction. "It wasn't that funny. Hazel told me it a few weeks ago."

Ryan shrugged and leaned against the shower he had been cleaning. I had no idea how he had already finished. Once you got past the lazy attitude and actually got him cleaning, he was a pretty good worker. "Hey, what can I say? I love cheesy jokes. And Chuck Norris jokes. You can't go wrong with a good Chuck Norris joke."

I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him. "You're weird, you know that right?"

"Yep," He made sure to pop the 'p'.

I felt a small laugh escape. Ever since I had begun spending large amounts of time with Percy I had found it harder to keep my expressions under wraps.

"Oh my goodness, did I just make Nico di Angelo laugh? Alert the media, this is breaking news." I rolled my eyes and ignored him. As annoying as he was I did sort of enjoy his company. "So how much longer, do you think that it will take, before we get there?"

I rolled my eyes. I instantly picked up on his use of a haiku. He seemed to have the same strange obsession with them that his father did. However, neither of them was very good at writing haiku's. I looked him in the eye and smiled. "I cannot be sure, it's sure not to be today, likely tomorrow."

His eyes widened and he smiled at me. "You made a haiku!"

I shook my head at his enthusiasm. "There really not that hard. It only takes a few seconds."

In hindsight, playing along with his bad poetry was a poor choice. I had been enjoying myself until that point, but he had a little too much of his father in him. He seemed to think that if someone so much as glanced at him, that they must want him. Before I could react he jumped forwards and hugged me.

The action was so similar to how Percy had held me that for a second, I froze. A small part of my mind randomly started to wonder if maybe I should give someone else a shot. Ryan was a good guy, albeit a little to affectionate for my taste.

I came back to myself and pulled away. No matter how nice of guy Ryan was, he wasn't Percy. His arms around me just felt strange, unlike when Percy held me. Percy's arms around me felt perfect, like I had been made to be in his arms. I sighed. I had a feeling that if the two of us had never started our relationship, I could have eventually found someone else. Now that I knew what it was like to be held by the one I loved the most, I would never be happy with another. I would always be subconsciously comparing them to him.

I sighed dejectedly. I stepped away and looked up to tell him off. I noticed that Ryan was glaring at the door. I turned around and I felt my eyes widen.

Percy was watching us with a look of surprise.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I turned and walked away without a word.

I had no idea why I was reacting like I was. It had been my choice to walk away. I had always known that Nico was never as excited about our plan as I was. It shouldn't have come as a shock to me when he didn't care that I had ended it.

When I first told him, I had regretted it. I had believed that he was in as much pain as I was. I could have dealt with my own pain, but not his. Loyalty was my fatal flaw. I had gone to see him to make sure that he was okay.

I had done my best to stay focused on my chores but I was pretty much useless. I felt like my heart had gone missing all over again. When **she** had left she took my heart with her. Nico eventually helped me get it back. Walking away, I lost it all over again.

Ever since I discovered that I had feelings for the son of Hades I had felt my heart getting a little better each day. I had never been happier than I had over the past three days.

Then I had my dream and I freaked out. I had spent the entire day trying to convince myself that breaking it off had been good idea. The death glares that everyone was sending me sure weren't helping my resolve. I already felt like crap, but I could deal with it. It was my own fault for being an idiot.

But the way that my friends were treating me, it had led me to believe that Nico was in as much pain as I was. I had gone down to the bathroom in the hopes of talking to him. I wanted to make sure that he was alright.

Seeing him in Ryan's arms had hurt more than I thought it would. I had waited thinking that maybe he would do something but he just stood there and let it happen.

I locked myself in my cabin. I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair.

I had no right to be jealous. I tried my best to stop the feeling but it didn't work. I couldn't seem to get that image out of my head. I was disgusted with myself. I loved Annabeth, I wanted to be with her. I missed her more and more every day. But the thought of Nico with anyone else hurt me as badly as the thought of leaving Annabeth did.

If I cared about Nico the way I said I did, wouldn't I be happy that he was able to move on so quickly? I should be the supportive friend that he needed. I grimaced at the thought. I didn't think that I would be strong enough to encourage him to find someone else.

I sighed and tried to clear my mind. I had made my choice and now I had to deal with it. I should have been happy that Nico wasn't going through the pain that I was. It should be making me feel better, not worse.

So why couldn't I get that image out of my head?


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you to everyone who is still reading. I'm glad that you didn't leave after those sad chapters. Here's a cookie.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

By noon on the fifth day we reached the coast. We debated stopping by to see camp Jupiter but we all agreed it would be better to continue without delay.

Of course, we still didn't know where to go. Our entire plan had been head west.

Why west? To the Ancient Greeks the Pacific Ocean was as far east as one could go with the Earth being flat and all...

Only once I saw the ocean in the distance did I begin to wonder whether or not the sun would have moved when Olympus did. I certainly hoped it didn't. That would mean that we had made a long trip for nothing.

I shrugged off the thought. It was too late to rethink our plan now. What was done was done.

_Speaking of what's done is done..._ I felt my gaze move across the table to where Nico was sitting. He didn't seem to notice my glance. He was busy staring daggers into the wood. I looked around and saw the most of the rooms' occupants were also glaring daggers but they were aimed at me instead. I could live with the glares, I deserved them.

The only look that was getting under my skin was the smug look Ryan kept giving me. I had gone out of my way to avoid Nico and him. Seeing Ryan with his arms around Nico had been enough to give me nightmares. I wasn't certain that I could survive walking in on the two of them kissing. I had spent a restless night trying to get that image out of my head.

I knew that Nico had never shown any interest in Ryan, but that didn't do anything to stop my thoughts. I couldn't stop my mind from providing painful images of Nico holding some faceless man. What hurt the most though was the knowledge that there was nothing I could do about it. He would one day find someone better than me, and that thought killed me.

I watched as Ryan smirked at me and reached out to put his arm around the back of Nico's chair. It was all I could do to stay seated. The jealousy that coursed though me was embarrassing. I took a deep breath and looked away.

What was even worse was the knowledge that we were about to follow Ryan's lead. No one else would be able to get us the help we needed, and that's why we were there in the first place.

We had gathered everyone for a meeting in the mess hall. We were hoping that between the seven of us we could convince Apollo to help. We had asked Ryan but all he could tell us was that there was an island where his dad parked the chariot when he wasn't using it. He had no idea where it was though.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I hated asking gods for help, and I had recently begun to dislike Apollo...

Piper clapped her hands and looked at the son of Apollo. "So how do we go about doing this?"

Ryan smiled and yelled, "Hey Dad, do you got a minute?"

I nearly laughed. No god would answer to a call like that. I had just opened my mouth to say as much when there was a flash of light.

"Sure, what do you need?"

I felt my mouth drop. Leaning against the wall was a man with sandy blonde hair. He had sky blue eyes and he looked to be in his late twenties.

I had only met him a few times but there was no doubt that he was the god Apollo.

I remembered the first time I had seen the sun god. At the time he had looked around 17, I guess he aged himself a little so his son wouldn't feel as awkward talking to his dad when he looked his age. I could only imagine talking to a teenage Poseidon. I shivered, that would be weird.

Apollo looked at me and smiled, "Hey Percy, long time, no see."

I returned his smile, "Hello again Apollo."

I remembered the first time I had met him. Thalia had said he was hot. I hadn't really paid attention at the time; I had been too busy checking out his car. I had never really looked at guys before Nico, but now that I was more aware of myself I could see what she had meant.

I couldn't stop the blush that ran across my face. He winked at me and turned to face the room.

I watched as Jason, Hazel, and Frank stood up and bowed to him. "Lord Apollo," Frank said. I smiled at the action, Romans were so formal.

Apollo was clearly enjoying the attention, "At ease." The three of them stood up and he smiled at the room. "So what did you need?"

We looked at each other and came to the silent decision that Ryan would ask. "We need to find the place 'where the sun is risen'."

Apollo nodded before dropping into a chair beside Nico. In the same way the shadows responded to Nico's presence, the light seemed too responded to Apollo.

With them side by side I couldn't help but compare their looks. It was like Apollo was the sun to Nico's night. I smirked at the thought, _that's not really that far off the mark..._

Apollo had the outdoorsy kind of good looks, which made sense as he was the god of the sun. He was the kind of guy that girls and guys would go crazy for, but he seemed to be too dazzling, too unattainable. But it was his attitude that really threw me off. He had the swagger of a guy who was attractive and knew it. He wore his arrogance for everyone to see. He was not my type.

Nico was a darker beauty, and it was his personality though that drew me to him. He had the persona of one who had been shunned his whole life and as such had developed a deep personality. He had values and courage. Nico made me think of the expression 'still waters run deep'. His darkness made me want to hold him and keep him beside me.

I shook my head to dispel the thoughts. I had lost Nico; he was now just as unattainable as Apollo. Every time I thought about how I lost him it felt like a knife to the chest. It was getting harder and harder to convince myself that I had done the right thing.

Apollo broke me out of my thoughts. "Ah, I see. This is about the prophecy..." We all nodded.

We waited for him to continue but after a few minutes of silence I spoke. "So, can you help us?"

Almost everyone in the room looked at me in shock; apparently they had forgotten I tend to blurt things out. The only ones who didn't look surprised were Nico and Apollo. Nico just glanced at me before turning back to Apollo. The sun god however started laughing.

"Ah, typical Percy Jackson, I was wondering who would break the silence. I figured it would be you." Apollo stopped smiling and looked at me with a serious expression. "I cannot interfere with quests, you know that."

I smirked; I knew exactly how to reply. "That didn't stop you before."

I saw a playful glint enter his eyes but he kept his serious expression. "I can't interfere with a quest but as long as you do something for me, I can help you. Speaking of which, you still owe me a haiku."

I felt my eyes widen. I had completely forgotten his request. I tilted my head as I thought about it. I was terrible at poetry. "We freed you sister, I had to hold up the world, I met Bessie."

"I think that last line was only four syllables."

I frowned and tried to think of a line that would work. I remembered him having the same problem. I started to laugh as I remembered his solution, "How about 'I am so awesome?"

Apollo realized what I had said and joined in, "See, now my sister can't say my poetry sucks. Only the best haikus' are that memorable." Still smiling, Apollo leaned forward and looked directly at me. "Perhaps I do have something that you guys could do for me."

I leaned towards him and smiled. "What do we have to do?"

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I really disliked Apollo. No, I **hated** him.

Percy may have been ridiculously unaware but there was no way that he could miss the fact that the god of the sun was flirting with him, right?

I felt sick to my stomach.

Apollo had hardly glanced at anyone else since he arrived. I had spent enough time around Ryan to learn how to tell if someone was flirting. After mere minutes in the company of the sun god I could already tell that he flirted the same way as his son. The worst part was that Percy was either the most oblivious person on the planet or he was flirting back...

I tried to console myself with the knowledge that Percy really was the most oblivious person alive but I couldn't completely dislodge my suspicions. I had seen the way Percy had looked at him when he showed up.

It had hurt me enough that Percy had chosen Annabeth. I had known that it was only a matter of time before he left, but the sight of another guy flirting with him felt like a knife to my heart. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my face blank.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. Percy was Percy. Not only was he amazing and handsome, but he had been around gods more often than any demigod I had ever heard of. It was only a matter of time until the caught the attention of one.

Even if he was still with me, there was nothing I could have done. I could never compete with a god; I wasn't even in the same league as Apollo. No one would ever examine the two of us and chose me.

I frowned at the thought and glared at the table.

"It's a little harder than writing a haiku. There's this cave about 10 miles north of here, I forgot something there. Pick it up for me and I will help you."

I saw Percy grimace. "The last time a god sent me to pickup something they had forgotten I ended up being attacked by mechanical spiders."

I added that to my mental list of things to as Percy about before I remembered that I wouldn't be able to talk to him like I used too. It was amazing how in a matter of three days he had eliminated years of habits.

Apollo smiled at the son of the sea god and I felt like hitting something. "Well, there shouldn't be any mechanical spiders but there is a certain pest that you will have to take care of before you can get it. It's up to you guys; do this for me or I can't help you. See you later Percy." Apollo flashed him one more blinding smile and I just had the time to close my eyes before he disappeared.

"So what do you guys think?" Jason looked around us expectantly.

Ryan shrugged, "Let's do it. There are 7 of us, how hard could it be?"

Percy winced, "You've clearly never gone on a quest for a god. I went on a quest for Ares; we were nearly killed by spiders. I went on a quest for Hermes; we nearly killed by a giant. And don't even get me started on that quest for Zeus, I honestly can't even tell you how many ways we almost died. The point of the matter is if a god sends you on a quest, it is always harder than it sounds."

Ryan shook his head, "If you scared that's on you man. He's my dad; it's probably only a minor monster. I say we go."

Percy looked like he was ready to throw Ryan overboard and see if he could fly. I decided to interrupt before things could escalate. "Whether it's a dangerous or not we still have to do it. We need his help."

Piper nodded, "Don't forget we're already on a quest. They are supposed to be life threatening. Besides we're demigods, deadly is in the job description."

I nearly smiled. Piper was the only child of Aphrodite that would say something like that. I may have hated the love goddess, but I had great respect for her daughter.

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, but I have a bad feeling about this."


	27. Chapter 27

**This is a long chapter. Sorry in advance for the sadness. :-) Enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

We found the cave fairly easily. It was Percy who spotted it. The cave was right on the ocean, only a few dozen feet separated the entrance from the low tide. It was obvious that when the tide rose, the cave would be mostly submerged.

The opening had me nervous. I had never been on an official quest before but I knew enough about fighting monsters to be hesitant about entering it. The entry was huge. I could have easily stacked two of the Hades cabins in the entrance and still had room to walk around them.

I did not want to meet whatever monster called that home, but we had no choice.

Piper, Hazel, and Jason were going to stay on the Argo in case we needed to make a hasty retreat. We had contemplated putting the Argo down on the ocean but we had decided against it when Percy informed us that the ocean had a deep pocket right in front of the cave. The water was several hundred feet deep and that depth usually meant water monsters.

Another reason for having Jason stay on the ship was that when those monsters sensed our presence, he could warn us.

The four of us climbed down and drew our weapons.

Frank clearly decided that if we had the space he would use it. He turned into a full grown African elephant. It was rather impressive actually.

We walked towards the entrance with Percy and me in the lead.

We were about 10 feet into the cave when I saw movement. I raised my sword to attack only to feel myself pushed to the cave floor.

I saw something wiz through the air where I had stood only a second before. Before I could even react I felt the weight that had been pinning me down move until it was between me and whatever had been attacking us. I sat up and saw Percy crouched in front of me with his sword at the ready.

I shook my head, _of course it would be him, it always is..._

"So we meet again Perseus... I've been waiting for this moment."

I saw the monster step out of the shadows and I felt my eyes widen. My gaze swept up from the ground. I took in the sight of the lion body with the head of a man. It was the tail that showed that he was not a sphinx. I watched as the monster raised his scorpion like tail over his head in preparation to fire.

The sight of Percy protecting me from the manticore gave me a crippling sense of déjà vu. I felt like I was ten years old again.

The monster stepped forward with a wicked grin on his face. "And this time there is no Olympian around to save you."

Percy's laugh brought me back to the present. "True, but I'm not the child that I was last time, and you're in **my** domain." Before any of us could react Percy threw his hand forward. A wall of water rose out of the ocean and smashed the manticore into the ground at Frank's feet, "If you wouldn't mind big guy."

Frank trumpeted and stepped on the soaked monster, reducing it to a fine golden powder.

Percy smiled and turned to me. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "See? What did I tell you? That was a cake walk. Come on let's get back to my dad."

I saw Percy roll his eyes and frown, "I don't know you guys. That was far too easy."

Ryan scoffed but I ignored him. I agreed with Percy but Apollo was a strange god. "It is Apollo. Last time he helped you all he asked for was a poem." I looked around the cave; I couldn't understand what a god would be doing hanging out in a place like that. "Come on let's find whatever it is we're looking for."

Percy sighed and looked away. "Alright but let's hurry, high tide will be here in ten minutes. I can hold it back a little but not for very long."

We searched the cave floor with no success. It would have been easier if we knew what it was we were looking for.

Percy had stopped searching and was focusing on keeping the water out of the cave. "Something's not right."

I instantly looked up, "What's wrong?"

"Where are the fish? I've been holding back this wave for almost five minutes now and I haven't seen a single fish."

Ryan scoffed, "Who cares about fish?"

Percy shook his head. I could see the sweat beading down his face from the effort of keeping us dry. "You don't understand. If there are fish, they come to say hi to me. All sea creatures do. They can sense a child of Poseidon."

"Whatever, maybe they have better things to do?"

"I've never seen the ocean this empty for this long. This is the perfect place for fish too. That deep pocket should be filled with schools of them. I'm telling you guys, something is not right."

Ryan rolled his eyes and ignored him.

I started getting anxious. I trusted Percy and if he thought that something was wrong, then something was wrong. I doubled my efforts.

After a few more minutes I found something. "Over here, I've got it." I picked up the golden object and shoved it in my pocket. Percy's discomfort had spread to me. No one knew water like Percy did. "Okay let's get out of here."

Percy nodded, "Frank can you fly us out of here?"

"Sure." Frank turned into a giant eagle and flew to the opening. The wave was already filling over ten feet of the opening.

"Alright Nico, you go first. You have what we need."

I nodded at Percy and walked to the opening.

Frank took off and was just about to grab my arms when I felt a piercing pain puncture my stomach.

The pain was so intense I blacked out. The last thing I heard was Percy shouting my name.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

The world seemed to slow down. The entrance that had been empty of all life only a moment ago was now filled.

I felt my eyes widen in terror, "Nico!"

My warning was too late. I watched as a serrated tail swung out and pierced through the stomach of the son of Hades. For a moment I froze. It was only luck that my mind kept the wave out of the cave.

I watched helplessly as Nico collapsed in rapidly increasing pool of blood. "Frank, get Nico back to the ship now!"

The son of Mars swooped in and picked up the unconscious demigod and flew away before the monster's tail could strike again.

I saw the creature's head snap out of the water towards the retreating pair. I subconsciously summoned a wave too push his head away. The monsters teeth missed the pair by inches.

The creature spun his focus towards me and I got my first clear view of the beast.

It was a sea serpent. It must have been 150 feet from nose to tail. Its scales were a ghastly mix of bog green and dirt brown. It had blood red eyes and teeth as long as my forearm. Its head and tail were surrounded by what looked like bone spikes. It was those spikes that hurt Nico.

I could only pray to every god on Olympus that Nico would be alright. I couldn't believe I had missed the signs...

I should have been able to guess that it was a sea monster. It was obvious enough that this cave was underwater half the time. The deep pocket would be the perfect place for a monster as large as him. Plus it completely explained the lack of fish. Fish will clear out of an area where a super predator lived.

Just looking at the sea monster was enough to tell you that it was a carnivore. And but the way it was looking at Ryan and I, we were its next meal.

I looked around trying to figure out a plan.

I couldn't hold back the wave for much longer. I was ready to pass out and if I fell the two of us were dead.

I saw a pile of boulders 30 feet inside the cave. "Ryan, climb up those rocks."

I started walking backwards towards the pile, my arms were beginning to shake with the effort of trying to keep the wave back. The sea serpent was swimming around snapping at the air in front of the wave, it knew that it wouldn't be kept out much longer.

I looked to my right to see that Ryan hadn't moved. "Ryan, get moving! I can't keep this up anymore."

Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "But, my dad..."

I reached out, grabbed his arm, and shoved him towards the rocks. The wave surged forward for a moment before I was able to get control of it again. "You can think of that later, if you don't want to be fish food shut up and get your ass up there!"

He started running and I was right on his tail.

I was nearly to the top of the pile when I slipped. I managed to catch myself but it was to late. The wave and its resident were already spilling into the cave. The wave would have ripped me off the pile but Ryan caught my arm and pulled me onto the top.

I wanted nothing more than to collapse in exhaustion but I didn't have the time. We were in more danger than before.

I could sense the monster beneath the waves circling around our temporary haven.

I looked around and felt myself pale. Our island was only about 15 feet across at it's widest point. The water kept pouring in, it was only around five feet below the top of our pile of rocks. The creature would have no problem reaching us.

The only reason that we were still alive is it clearly felt like toying with us.

Suddenly it lunged towards Ryan. I swung out my leg and took his feet from beneath him. I watched as it's teeth snapped in the spot where he had stood a moment before.

It dove back beneath the water, sending a wall of water over our platform. The force of the wave nearly knocked me off but I caught my balance at the last second.

I could see Ryan starting to panic. I wanted to calm him down but we didn't have time. "Ryan, snap out of it!"

He shook his head and started to whimper.

I groaned and tightened my grip on my blade. I swept my gaze over the water. I saw a movement on my left. I swung my body around only to hear a splash behind me.

Before I could react I heard Ryan scream. I spun around and automatically brought down my sword. My blade sliced through the monsters tail and Ryan fell back to the ground, clutching his arm.

The serpent roared in pain and the noise shook the cave.

I saw Frank flying towards the entrance. "No Frank, stay back!"

I saw him turn away from the entrance and circle a few hundred feet above the water.

I looked at Ryan. His injuries didn't look life threatening but there was no way he could shoot.

Fifty feet away the sea monster's head launched out of the water to glare at me. He roared and I could see rows and rows of razor sharp teeth.

I swallowed and raised my sword.

The monster hissed and shot towards me. I dove to the side in a roll, I felt wind rush over me. Before I could even think, it lunged again. I dropped flat on my stomach to avoid being decapitated.

The monster was too fast. There was no way that I would be able to stab it when it came close, not if I wanted to survive. The monster reared again and let out another earth shaking roar.

I looked down at my companion and knew what I had to do. I dropped my sword and grabbed his bow.

There was every chance that I wouldn't be able to do what I needed. I prayed to every god I had ever met that it would work.

I waited until it opened his mouth, drew back the arrow and fired.

I watched as my arrow flew strait on target. It buried itself to the fletching in the monsters maw. The serpent let out a painful roar before it burst into dust.

I felt myself drop to my knees in relief and exhaustion.

ΩΩΩ

The world seemed to blur around me. I watched in a daze as Frank and Jason pick us up and flew us back to the ship.

Piper met us on deck and shoved a piece of ambrosia at both me and Ryan. I felt my hand shake as I shoved it in my mouth. The instant I started chewing I felt my vision coming back into focus.

I swallowed and looked around.

I felt myself pale at the sight of Nico. His unmoving body was laying on deck. Hazel sat at his side, tears streaming down her face. I saw the gaping wound in his stomach. I watched but I didn't see any signs of him breathing.

My heart stopped...

Nico couldn't be dead. He was talking with me just minutes ago. I felt tears spring to my eyes as I stumbled towards him.

It felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest. "Nico, no gods. Please no..." I dropped to my knees beside him. I had no words to explain the pain radiating in my chest. Never had the pain of me losing anyone been this strong. I couldn't lose him, I couldn't survive in a world without him in it. A broken sob escaped from my chest.

In that moment it hit me, I loved him. I couldn't believe that I had to lose him forever in order to see it. "Gods Nico, I'm so sorry... Please, don't leave me."

Suddenly I saw his chest rise. The relief I felt at that slight movement brought a fresh wave of tears. "Oh thank the gods!"

I saw a bright flash appear on my right. "You're welcome." Apollo stepped forward with a smile.

I turned towards him, "Can you heal him?"

Apollo's smile faded, "No, he must survive or die without my interference."

I suddenly felt a sharp stab of hatred for the sun god.

"Why not? You are the god of healing."

Apollo looked at me with a saddened expression, "Zeus has ordered against it. This is a rare occasion where my healing would interfere with another' gods sphere of influence."

I was shaking with fury. "So I'm just supposed to let Nico die?"

I saw Apollo's eyes flash dangerously. I knew that I wasn't being as respectful as I should have but I couldn't help myself. "There is hope. If you can reach Calypso's island in time, she can save him. If not, then yes. He will die."

I went to stand up but Jason put a hand on my shoulder to keep me down. "Thank you Lord Apollo."

The god nodded at him. "By the way, I think the son of Hades has something of mine."

With shaking hands I reached into Nico's pocket. I pulled out the item that had been paid for in blood. I shouldn't have been surprised but I was. It was an iPod. It looked exactly like one you would buy at a store except for the fact it seemed to be made of gold.

I looked at it in disgust. "This is what we risked our lives for?"

Apollo shrugged and took it from me. "What can I say, it has all my favourite songs on it." He smiled and stepped back, he waved his hand and a compass appeared on the deck. "As long as that's in the hands of one of my children, it will show you the way. I will see you again Percy. Till next time."

Apollo stepped back and I averted my eyes just before he disappeared.

I took a stuttering breath and looked at the broken body on the floor in front of me.

"Come on, we need to get this ship going. We have to get to Calypso, and fast."


	28. Chapter 28

**Yay, another long chapter for you guys. :-) I hope you enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I was in the medical bay with Nico.

We had gotten the ship moving in record time. As Frank and I carried Nico below deck, Ryan had used Apollo's compass to give Jason our heading.

Hazel was a wreck, she had sat with me in the medical bay for a few hours but I sent her back to her cabin around midnight. She didn't want to go but I convinced her that Nico would want her to sleep. She had no way to argue with me, she knew it was the truth. She headed to bed only after she made me swear on the River Styx that I would stay with him the whole night.

It was silly to make me promise, I had no intention of leaving, but I understood. Nico was getting progressively worse. Ryan was one of the few children of Apollo with almost no healing skills. If it hadn't been for the nectar and ambrosia, Nico would have been dead by now but we didn't dare give him any more for fear of it burning him up. It was enough to keep him alive for now but his wound was still slowly killing him. I was terrified.

As I watched his shallow breathing I began to think about the two of us. Seeing him like that was killing me. I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to figure out how I felt about him. I cared for him so much that it terrified me. _No, that wasn't right; I loved him so much it terrified me..._ I shivered at the thought. I had never thought that I could love anyone else but then the son of Hades had come along and stolen my heart. I knew that he didn't feel the same way about me but I found myself making a plan to win him back. I had used him, hurt him, and thrown him away and he had every reason in the world to hate me for the rest of time but I wouldn't give him up without a fight. I couldn't lose him, not again. I would find a way to make that quiet, sweet, and beautiful son of Hades mine...

"Any change?" I turned around to see Ryan closing the door behind him.

I frowned and turned back to Nico, "None that are for the better." Ryan sighed and sat down beside me. He hadn't been himself since the cave. "How's your arm?"

Ryan looked at the extremity and frowned. "It hurts like Hades but I can feel the ambrosia working its magic."

I nodded as I checked Nico's forehead. He was beginning to develop a fever. I stood up and got a cloth. I poured a bowl of ice water and soaked the cloth. I wrung it out and rested it on his forehead.

"It seems so stupid you know?" I turned to the son of Apollo and raised my eyebrow. He glanced at me and turned his attention back to the injured boy. "Nico has done so much. Yet that was the quest that brought him down? It should have been easy..."

I sighed and turned to the boy beside me. I understood what was bothering him. "This isn't about him is it?" He looked at me like he was about to argue. I raised a hand to silence him. "I'm not saying that you're not worried about him, I can tell you are, but this is about the quest. Isn't it?"

Ryan bit his lip and looked down. "I just... don't understand. He... he's my father. I thought that," I watched as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We nearly died."

I felt a stab of pity for him. It was a painful lesson to learn, one that all demigods eventually discovered. I was glad that he had come to me though; I had seen the outcome of what could happen if a demigod tried to hold all that pain and hatred inside. "Ryan, I know what you're thinking. But the gods can't show favoritism, especially not to their own children."

I could see Ryan was starting to get mad but I knew it wasn't at me. "They can't show favoritism? They do it all the time."

"Yes they do, but they have to be very careful where their children are concerned. The quest was more dangerous because you were part of it." The instant the words were out of my mouth I realized how poorly it could be taken.

"So you're saying this is my fault?"

I winced, "No, that's not what I meant. I meant that there are law that even the gods must obey. Our parents challenge us to bring out our best, the harder the quest the more faith they have in you. Your father sent you to fight a sea monster. Consider that his convoluted way of saying that he believes in you."

Ryan scoffed and looked at the wall in disgust. "If that's the case I think I would rather have nothing to do with them."

I looked at him with a serious expression on my face. "Don't go down that path. Hating the gods won't gain you anything."

I watched as Ryan's shoulders slumped down. "It's just not right."

I nodded. "I know it's not fair but it's how it is. We're demigods, things aren't perfect but they are getting better. If you never trust me on anything else trust me on this. You're father loves you, even if he doesn't always show it."

He closed his eyes but a tear still fell. "How do you know?"

He sounded so broken that I found myself wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He stiffened but he didn't pull away. "Easy, he came when you called. I thought you were an idiot. I had never known a god to answer when one of their children yelled for them, but he did. If he didn't care about you he would have ignored you."

Ryan wiped away his tear and looked at me, "I'm sure that your dad would answer. You're the Percy Jackson, twice hero of Olympus."

I laughed and shook my head, "I can tell you with absolute certainty that he would not. I know that he loves me but if I ever yelled at him like that I think he would probably turn me into a mackerel."

We both started to laugh. Ryan was actually an okay guy to hang out with when he wasn't being an egomaniac. It seemed foolish to me now that I used to hate him. Life was too short to bother with stupid emotions like jealousy.

I sighed and looked at Nico's unconscious form. I drew away from the son of the sun god and re-wet the son of Hades face cloth before returning it to his forehead. I had no idea how long it would take to reach Calypso's island but I sincerely hoped it would be soon, I couldn't bare the alternative if we weren't to reach it on time.

"You know, I can see why he likes you so much."

I frowned at Ryan in confusion, "Who?"

The son of Apollo smiled at me, "Nico. He really likes you. At the beginning I thought that it was just because of who you were. You are so famous and powerful. I thought that you would be a conceited jerk but now, I can understand. You are not at all what I would have expected you to be like."

I shrugged; I was a little uncomfortable with the compliments. "Uh, thanks. I'm not that powerful though. I've had help in everything I did. My friends have been with me every step of the way."

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "See? That's what I'm talking about. You're so humble. If I had done half of the stuff that you had I would probably be bragging about it but you always say how it wasn't just you. You make sure that everyone gets recognition. I respect you for that. I used to think that it was just an act but I don't think that anymore."

I smiled at him. "You're not so bad yourself Ryan. Once you get past your attitude you're a good guy."

Ryan smirked at me, "But not good enough for Nico right?"

I grimaced and looked at the son of Hades. "I don't know. What I do know is that, I may not good enough for him but that doesn't mean that I will let you have him without a fight."

We smiled at each other. We had come to an understanding with each other, but that didn't mean that either of us would be backing down.

Ryan held out a hand for me and I shook it. "I'm glad that you guys chose me to come on this quest. I've learned a lot more than I thought that I would."

ΩΩΩ

By the next night the compass had led us to an uninhabited part of the pacific. We had a few monster attacks but our crew fought them off with the ferocity of an army. None of us would allow anything to slow us down.

In the early hours of the morning I was forced to obey Hazel's command and go to sleep. I didn't want to leave him and Frank ended up having to threaten to physically remove me form the sick bay. I was far too tired to fight him off and so I left. I caught five hours before I was back at his side.

Nico had gotten progressively worse during the night. His fever had spiked and was now hovering at 102.4 degrees. Because of his wound we couldn't put him in an ice bath so we had to settle for putting ice packs all around him. We were trying everything to break the fever but nothing was working. All we had managed to do was keep the fever from getting any worse. His breathing was getting more and more labored.

It was not helping anything that the air was getting warmer as we moved closer and closer to the equator.

I was changing his ice packs when I saw something that made my heart go cold. My hands shook as I raised the edge of his shirt. I peeled away the bandages on his stomach and my worst fear was confirmed. I stared in horror at the deep red lines that were spreading on his skin in all directions from the wound. Nico had blood poisoning...

I fell back a step and ran into Jason.

He looked at Nico and his face went pale. He clearly recognized the symptoms. We both knew if he didn't get professional medical attention soon, he was dead. He rubbed his face and drew in a stuttering breath, "We seem to have reached the end of the line. The compass is just spinning in circles."

I felt my eyebrows draw together in confusion, "If we've found the island that's a good thing, right?"

Jason looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "There is no island here. There's nothing but ocean as far as the eye can see."

I felt my heart drop through my feet. _No, we could not have done all that for nothing. I cannot lose Nico like this. We have to be missing something..._

I didn't realize that I was shaking until Jason grabbed my shoulder. "Listen, we're not giving up. We're turning the ship around and we're going to try again. We will save Nico. Apollo said only Calypso could heal him, we won't rest until we find her."

I felt my breathing spike. I, we, needed to find her but in order to do that we had to find the place where the sun is risen. _Wait a second, where the sun is risen..._

I felt my jaw drop. "Don't turn the ship around! I've got it!"

Jason stepped back and looked at me in confusion. "What is it? What have you got?"

I smiled and grabbed his arm, "Think about it Jason, we are going 'where the sun is risen', how much you willing to bet that you can only get there during the sun rise."

Jason's eyes widened, "Oh my gods! That would make perfect sense. Stay with Nico." He looked at his watch and ran back on deck.

I looked at the clock on the wall. We only had an hour till sunrise. I prayed that I was right.

ΩΩΩ

Hazel and Frank came to the infirmary just as I finished re-bandaging Nico's wound. I nodded to them and left to go on deck. I didn't want to be apart from Nico but I needed to see if I was correct.

Ryan, Jason, Piper, and I stood on the deck of the Argo, waiting for the first sign of sunrise. We watched in silence as the first beams of light began to dance on the horizon.

As one we looked to Ryan who looked at his compass but he frowned and shook his head. We all started looking around but there was no sign of any island.

Jason looked at me and broke eye contact, "I'm sorry Percy, it..."

"There!"

We looked to where Ryan was pointing but I couldn't see anything. I thought that I was the only one until Piper spoke, "Where Ryan, there's nothing there."

"What are you talking about? It's right there like ten miles from us. How can you not see it?"

The three of us looked at each other and looked back out to the ocean. I bit my lip, "I don't see anything. Then again, this is Apollo's island. Maybe only his bloodline can find it?"

Jason nodded, "That would make sense. Ryan you are going to have to help guide us in."

Ryan nodded and stood next to Jason correcting his course whenever he began to drift one way or the other. It seemed like the island had powerful charms protecting it from anyone finding it.

After five minutes I could begin to see a misty fog that made me a little dizzy whenever I tried to try and stare at. Finally after a few nauseous minutes, we broke through and an island spread out before us.

I am not entirely certain what I had been expecting, maybe a deserted island, or a tropical paradise, or some kind of garage that he could keep his car in... But I was way off. His island looked like a five star resort. Complete with a golden hotel, pools, and an amphitheater. I shook my head and tried not to laugh. I felt like I should have known to expect something ostentatious, it belonged to Apollo after all.

I shook my head and came back to myself. I looked around to see my friend's were still lost in the view. I tried calling them but they didn't seem to hear me. I put my fingers in my mouth and let out my best taxi cab whistle. They dropped their heads and covered their ears.

Piper winced and glared at me, "What was that for?"

I shrugged, "I was calling you guys but you didn't seem to hear me."

Jason frowned, "Really?"

I nodded.

Ryan looked at the three of us, "So now that we're here, what next?"

We looked at each other. I took a deep breath and walked over to Leo's astrolabe. My hands were shaking as I went to lift the lid. If this didn't work, then we had no hope of saving Nico.

I closed my eyes and flipped the lid.

The astrolabe exploded into the sky in a ball of light. The Ryan, Jason, and I looked at each other in despair.

Before we could comment on it, we heard Piper shout. "Look! There!"

The three of us looked over the bow of the ship and our mouths dropped. Floating five hundred feet in the air was a doorway.

Through it we could see an ocean and in the distance a small island. I had only seen it once but there was no mistaking the distant shore.

"Ogygia..."


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey, just so you are all aware I might not be able to post any more chapters for a few days. I am going to lose access to my main computer for a week or so. I will still make sure to update it at least twice a week. I will use my phone if I have to, though I don't like writing on it as the small screen gives me a headache. Enjoy. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I felt my heart pounding in my chest. We had really made it to Ogygia. We sailed through the doorway only to have the portal close behind us. There was now no way to get back the same way we had come. I felt a twinge of nervousness at the loss of out exit but that was a thought for a later date. At the moment the only thing on my mind was Nico.

I was nervous; if we couldn't convince Calypso to help him then he would die. I suddenly wished that I hadn't come. I knew Calypso, she had a good heart, but I had hurt her.

I had come to her at the point of death and she had saved me. Then, like everyone that had found the island before me, I left her. It didn't matter if I had asked the gods to free her; I should have made sure that they did. Instead I asked and then proceeded to forget all about her. True I had forgotten about everything but that was no excuses. It took a trip through Tartarus before I realized what a terrible friend I had been to everyone.

I owed her even more than I had known I had. I had to be cursed by her before I realized the true extent of my actions. If it hadn't been for her I might have never realized how I had been treating Nico. If it hadn't been for that realization I might never have tried to get to know him better. Without her, I might have never grown to love him...

I scratched my neck and looked across the deck. Frank and Hazel had brought him up on deck so that Calypso would be able to get to him that much sooner. He looked even worse than he had last night. His lips were cracked and his breath seemed even more labored that before. I silently prayed to all of the gods that she could heal him.

I didn't care what it cost me. I would do anything that she asked if it meant that Nico could live.

I bit my lip and looked ahead of the ship. We were only about one mile from the island. I took the helm from Jason and started our descent. We had decided to set the ship down on the beach. There may have been water but we had no way to get Nico to the shore without a row boat.

The plus side to being ADHD is that I was able to focus on more than one thing at a time. I was going through the complicated pattern of setting the ship down while still keeping an eye on Nico and I still notice when a figure, with hair the color of cinnamon, approach the beach.

ΩΩΩ

We tied the ship down and looked at each other. By silent agreement Piper and Hazel went first. Jason picked up Nico and followed after them. Frank turned into a giant eagle and carried Ryan down. I took a deep breath, looked around me once more, and jumped down.

The instant I landed I heard Calypso gasp. I looked up and met her eyes. In that split second, I saw a hundred expressions flash across her face. I gulped and nodded to her before she settled her face into a blank gaze and looked away. I saw her take in the sight of Nico lying in Jason's arms.

I had a hundred possible speeches to try and convince her to help him rush through my mind and in the end, I didn't need any of them. She took one look at the boy, frowned, and signaled Jason to lay him on a nearby log.

"What happened to him?" I had forgotten just how musical her voice sounded.

I cleared my throat. "We were attacked by a sea monster."

She nodded and touched the wound. "How long ago did this happen?"

"Just about two days ago. We did what we could but none of us are healers."

She put a hand on his forehead and winched. She turned and leveled her glare at me. "You fed him too much ambrosia. Only part of this fever is his infection, if you had given him even a few more bites he would have died."

I broke eye contact and looked down. "We were worried about him, he hasn't woken up since it happened and he keeps getting worse." Calypso sighed and shook her head. She knew I was speaking the truth and I could tell that she couldn't stay mad at us for that. "Can you help him? Please, I... we can't lose him."

She looked at me with ancient eyes and shook her head. I felt my heart plummet. "I'm sorry, I cannot heal this wound. His injury is too severe and his strength is too low. If I tried it, he would die."

I saw Hazel drop to the ground with her arms around her stomach. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I had to ask, "Please Calypso, There must be something you can do."

Her shoulders hunched when I said her name. "There is one option, but... it's not pleasant."

I felt my heart begin to swell with hope. "Just tell me what you need. Whatever it is, I will do it."

Her eyes shot to mine in surprise. "You do not even know what I will ask of you."

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter. If there is even the slightest chance that it will save him, I will do it."

I heard her sigh as she looked down at the son of Hades. "I can take the strength of another and give it to him. There is no guarantee that it would work, he will still most likely die, but it would give him a chance."

I felt myself smile, "Do it, you can take my strength."

She looked at me with a serious expression. I felt my heart clench. The last time that she had looked at me like that she had told me she loved me and asked me to stay. "Think carefully before you decided. It will be painful. It will feel as though I am ripping out your soul. If you do not have the inner strength to survive, you could easily die as well."

I wanted to say that I didn't care but I knew that she wanted me to seriously consider it. I thought about the risks. I didn't enjoy pain and I certainly didn't want to die...

I shook my head. It was worth the risk. If I had to risk my life for Nico, I would do it without hesitation. I looked her in the eye and nodded.

She picked up Nico's body with surprising ease and carried him towards her home. She motioned for me to follow.

I walked along beside her as I took in the view. I had forgotten just how beautiful the island was. I had convinced myself that nowhere could have been that gorgeous and that it must have been a dream. I had been wrong. If anything my memories hadn't done it justice. The soft white sand, the ocean waves, the fragrant blossoms, it was indescribably beautiful.

I started thinking about how much it reminded me of the Aphrodite beach where Nico and I had gone on our first non-date. I smiled at the memory. I would find a way to win Nico back and when I did, I would take him on a real date on our privet stretch of paradise.

I looked towards the beautiful girl who carried the man I had grown to love. I was happy that even if I did die, the others would see that she was freed. She deserved to find the same happiness that I had found in Nico.

We entered her house and she laid Nico on the bed and motioned for me to lie beside him. I felt my heart constrict. I owed her so much, and had never thanked her. If I was going to die, then I knew I should tell her how sorry I was. "Calypso..."

She looked at me with sadness in her dark almond eyes and shook her head. "I believe that you will survive this. We will talk once you wake."

I looked at her and smiled. "Okay."

She gave me a sad smile and took my hand. "This will hurt..."

I had just opened my mouth to respond when the pain hit. It was 1000 times worse than anything I had felt before. The last thing I saw was a tear slipping down the goddesses face before I blacked out.

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I felt like I had been hit by a bus, then trampled by a herd of centaurs, and then fried in boiling oil.

I groaned and opened my eyes. I took in the sight of a stone roof and turned to the side. I instantly froze. Sleeping not even two feet away from me was Percy. I felt my heart start to race. Why was Percy in my bed?

I started to panic a little and pulled away. I tried to sit up only for the room to start spinning. I fell back down and put a hand to my head. I took a deep breath and forced myself to sit up much more slowly.

I felt sick to my stomach. I had a feeling that I had been sleeping for quite a while but I was still exhausted.

The last thing I could remember was finding Apollo's iPod. I looked around but nothing seemed familiar. I seemed to be in some kind of cave. It wasn't immediately obvious that it was a cave, I could just smell that we were underground. The cave was decorated to look like someones house. However, it was unlike almost any house I had ever seen. For one, it seemed to have no electricity. The only light in the cave seemed to come from a fireplace that was built into one of the walls.

I swung my feet out of the bed and tried to stand. My legs were a little wobbly but I refused to allow that to keep me there. I could handle a lot before I broke but there was now way that I could survive sharing a bed with Percy. Not when I knew his heart belonged to the daughter of Athena.

I winced. I tried to convince myself that the only pain that I felt was the physical pain but I was not a fool. Having Percy choose her had hurt me. I took a deep breath and tired to force the thought out of my head.

He had made a fool of me once but he wouldn't be doing it a second time. I would not be able to stand the betrayal if he did it again. I wouldn't care if he came crawling back to me on his knees begging me to take him back, I wouldn't do it...

I sighed and used the wall to support me as I made my way outside. I really wished that I could believe myself. I knew that if he asked, I would still go back to him and yet, I knew he would never ask.

I made my way to the entrance and winced at the bright sunlight. I seemed to be on some kind of island but I had no idea where. I blinked to get accustomed to the sudden change in the light when I heard someone gasp.

I raised a hand to cover my eye and could make out the figure of a women kneeling in a garden. She had dark reddish brown hair and was looking at me in surprise. I waited for her to speak but she didn't seem to be capable of doing so at the moment. I sighed, I supposed that I would have to. "Hello..."

"You should be in bed. You shouldn't even be conscious right now, let alone walking around."

I narrowed my eyes, "Why is that?"

"Because that sea monster nearly killed you. Another day without a healer and you would have been on a one way trip to the underworld."

I was surprised but I didn't show it. I thought back and could vaguely remember a blinding pain just before I blacked out. I didn't know how to respond but she was looking at me in expectation. I shrugged. "I'm fine." It wasn't completely true but it wasn't a total lie either. "So who healed me?" Now that I knew I had been injured I was surprised that I hadn't figured it out earlier. Healing's always left a very specific pain in their wake that was unlike any other. It wasn't true pain, more like a ghost of pain.

She looked at me in disbelief. "I did, and there is no way that you are completely fine right now."

I narrowed my eyes, "I didn't say I was completely fine, but I will live." I blinked and tilted my head as I processed the rest of her statement. "You healed me? How?"

The girl stood up and dusted the dirt off her dress. "I have a gift for healing, I've been doing it for a long time."

I lowered my hand as she came to stand beside me. "Who are you?"

She gave me a big smile and offered me her hand. "My name is Calypso, it's a pleasure to meet you."


	30. Chapter 30

**Yay, another chapter! If you guys are really lucky I may even have another chapter out tonight, though most likely it will be tomorrow. Enjoy... :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

"Wait, you're Calypso?" I was stunned. I got knocked out and somehow the others had still managed to find her island without my help. _Wow, I feel useful..._

The goddess smiled, "Indeed. Come on, we should get you back to bed. You are not fully healed yet."

I hesitated. I did not want to go back to bed. That would mean sleeping next to Percy. I did not want to do that. Well I sort of did, but mostly I didn't, "No I will be fine. I do not want to go back to bed. Can't I go look around the island?"

Calypso frowned at me. "You should not be wandering off on your own. I don't even understand how you are standing at the moment. I only healed you a few hours ago. You should still be asleep, like Percy."

I felt myself pale. It hadn't occurred to me that Percy might be injured. He couldn't have been dying like I was; he was the hero of Olympus. "Is Percy alright? He wasn't hurt too badly was he?" I knew that I had sounded too worried but I couldn't have bothered to care at that moment.

She tilted her head and gave me an odd look. "You needn't worry for his safety. He is more that strong enough to survive."

I bit my lip, "What happened to him?"

She sighed and gave me an exasperated look. "You have no intention of going back to sleep do you."

I shrugged; I saw no point in lying, "None at all."

She shook her head and smiled at me. I couldn't help but notice the way that her eyes lit up in amusement; it reminded me of how Percy looked when he thought I was acting ridiculous. "Alright, let's at least go sit down."

I would have argued but I really was feeling exhausted. "Alright, lead the way."

ΩΩΩ

She led me down the beach to a table on the sand. I saw a jug and cups floating through the air. Normally I would have been shocked but I remembered Percy telling us about her invisible servants.

The invisible creature poured our drinks and left the jug. I raised the cup to my lips and took a sip. It was iced tea. I felt my lips curl into a small smile; it was surprisingly good and quite refreshing. Calypso had refilled my glass before I had even noticed I had emptied it. I must have been more dehydrated than I had thought.

"This is quite good."

"It is my favorite drink."

"I can see why." I looked around me and bit my lip. "Thank you by the way..." She gave me a puzzled look and I continued. "I was dying. You didn't know who I was, yet you still chose to save my life, so... Thank you."

She looked at me in shock before she smiled, "You're most welcome."

I nodded and looked away. "So how is Percy? What happened to him?"

She gave me a sad smile. I could see the pain that talking about him caused her. "He is fine. If he was going to die, he would have been dead by now."

I winced. I couldn't imagine a world without Percy in it. "What happened to him though?"

She took a sip of her drink and looked me in the eye. "He is just recovering his energy. When you arrived you were too far gone. Healing you would have killed you. Percy offered his strength so that you could live."

I felt my heart stop beating. _Percy risked his life for me? _"He... he gave me his energy?"

The goddess nodded her head. "Indeed. I told him the risks but he didn't care." She bit her lip and looked down. "He... he was quite worried about you."

I could hear just how much that sentence had cost her. I surprised both of us by reaching out a hand to squeeze hers. I refused to dwell on possible implications of his actions. He had made his feelings for me quite clear. "Percy is just like that. He will do anything for a friend." I found that the last word was hard to say. I watched as a tear fell down her face. I doubted that anyone else would tell her but I knew that someone would have to. "Did you know he turned down immortality so that the gods would free you?"

She looked up at me in shock. "What are you talking about?"

I drew my hand back to myself. "Percy defeated Kronos and the gods wanted to make him immortal to show their gratitude. He declined their offer and asked that in exchange, they build cabins for all the gods, including my father, and free you."

"He... he asked them to free me?"

"Yes." I couldn't understand why she looked so pained by the thought.

"But... they never did."

I frowned. "The gods aren't the best at keeping their words. He probably would have checked to make sure they had if Hera hadn't kidnapped him and wiped his memory."

Calypso looked confused. "Wait, what?"

I smiled, "It's a long story. But I do know that he was working so hard over the last four months so that he could find his way back to free you."

She shook her head and began to cry. She looked like I had just driven a knife through her heart. "He doesn't know..." I raised my eyebrow in question. "I... I cursed him. He wouldn't want anything to do with me if he knew..."

I didn't know what to do. Comforting someone who was crying was way outside my realm of expertise. I awkwardly patted her shoulder. "He does know."

In hindsight that probably wasn't the best thing to say...

She looked at me with guilt in her eyes and started to cry even harder. "He... he knows? How?"

I looked around hoping that Piper or someone would be around to help me but there was no one in sight. I bit my lip and turned to the weeping goddess. "He met the Arai." I briefly wondered if she knew what they were but I decided as an immortal goddess she probably knew more about Greek mythology than any demigod.

She paled and sat up but the guilt and pain were still clear on her face, "The Arai? But those can only be found in Tartarus."

I blinked in shock. I had forgotten that she probably wasn't aware of what he had gone through since he crashed on her island. "Percy... Well, he's had an interesting few years..."

ΩΩΩ

I told her of everything that Percy had been through, right up until the start of the quest. She looked amazed. I could understand her reaction; Percy's life was almost like reading a fantasy novel...

Once I had finished she started asking about my life. I wasn't really comfortable with discussing myself. She seemed to understand and starting asking about the other members of the crew instead. I briefly wondered if they would mind me telling her their life stories, but I decided I didn't care. I wasn't telling her anything that wasn't common knowledge at the camps so I doubted they would be bothered by it. She started to cry when I told her what happened to Leo.

I was curious about her. I had spent enough time alone to understand what it was like to wish to be around others. Every time I would ask about her, she would give me a strange smile before she answered. I had a feeling that not many people asked her about her life, and not just because she was trapped on a mythical island either.

She was surprisingly easy to talk to. I didn't tell her much about myself but I still found myself telling her some things that only a few people knew about me. It was hard not to open up to her; she hung on to every word I spoke. It made sense though; I suppose that after a few thousand years of solitude even I would be anxious to talk to someone. I was curious as to why she had decided to chat with me. There were six other demigods on the island, five of whom were conscious; I wouldn't have been my first choice for a conversation...

We sat at the table speaking until the sun set. I had no way of knowing exactly how long we had been there. Time seemed to move differently on her island.

I looked towards the sunset in surprise. "How long have we been talking?" I cleared my throat. It hurt a little from how much speaking I had been doing.

She laughed, "Time doesn't matter here and so it doesn't follow a set guideline. It may have been an hour, it may have been seven. But I would guess it is somewhere around four."

I nodded. It's amazing how used to the unusual one can become. I looked around and frowned as a thought struck me. "Where are the others?"

She raised a hand and pointed to a grove of trees. "They were tired from their trip. They waited outside my home until I told them that the two of you would live. Your sister did not want to leave you but she looked ready to collapse. I sent them to go get some sleep."

I frowned. I didn't want Hazel to worry about me. "I should probably go see them. She is most likely worried sick, even if you did tell her I would be fine."

She nodded and looked down in guilt. "I am sorry; I should have brought you to see them right away."

I felt a twinge of regret for making her feel bad. Calypso was one of the sweetest people that I had ever met, she reminded me of my sister Bianca. "No, don't feel bad. They needed their sleep. If I really was out for the last two days I am willing to bet she got little to no sleep."

She stood and motioned for me to follow. I stood up only to stumble a little before I caught myself. She looked worried but I waved her off. "It's okay, I will be fine."

She frowned at me and put her hands on her hips. With the sun at her back her hair looked almost black. In that moment her resemblance to Bianca was uncanny.

"Nico di Angelo," I winced, I knew that I would regret telling her my last name. "If you are tired you should be in bed. Don't push yourself; if you do you are only going to be stuck in bed for even longer."

I couldn't help myself, I started to laugh. Her expression clearly told me that she thought I had snapped. "I'm... sorry." I tried to gasp out the words between fits of laughter, "It's just... you look and sound so much like... my sister right now."

She blinked before she started chuckling as well. I wasn't certain as to why it was so amusing at the moment. It seemed to be one of those times when you start laughing for no real reason and you just can't stop. Eventually I gained enough control over myself to smother my laughter but I still let out a few chuckles here and there.

She stepped up next to me and offered me her arm. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

I wanted to refuse but the laughter seemed to have sapped most of my remaining strength. I nodded and took her arm.

For some reason I had assumed that she would be bringing me to the ship, so when I saw the entrance to her cave I became confused. "Wait, why..." I looked at her but she didn't seem to hear me. I furrowed my brow and followed her line of sight.

I saw a dark figure leaning against the entry of her cave. I knew who it was even before we came closer. I would recognize his figure anywhere.

He looked between the two of us and the last light of the setting sun sparkled off of his sea-green eyes.

I felt the goddess at my side stiffen, "Percy."


	31. Chapter 31

**Wow... I was just rereading my story. Thank you all for sticking with me through all the ups and downs of this emotional roller-coaster. I'm surprised you don't all hate me right now. LOL**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I saw them walking up from the beach together. I didn't know how to react. I had a million thoughts racing through my mind and they ended up getting jumbled.

I wanted to run up and thank Calypso for saving him, I wanted to check if Nico was really alright, I wanted to collapse from exhaustion, but most of all I wanted to fall to my knees and beg Nico to take me back...

I was considering doing just that until they got closer. I couldn't help but notice that Calypso had her arm around the son of Hades. I was used to feeling jealous when strangers flirted with him, but I was surprised when I felt envy towards my friend. I took a deep breath and buried the emotion.

I forced my face to remain neutral as I looked between them. I didn't think that Nico had noticed me yet. He looked like he was having a great time. I could even hear him laughing.

I had no cause to be jealous of Calypso. Yes, she was beautiful, and kind, and sweet, and polite, and caring, and had saved his life, and lovely, and if they were together he would get to become an immortal...

_I am so screwed..._

Calypso noticed me before Nico did. He was smiling at her and when he turned to me I saw his face drop. It took all of my willpower to remain expressionless as they walked up to where I was standing. It hurt to see Nico being so distant with me. I should have expected it after the way I had treated him but it still felt like a knife to the chest.

I was panicking on the inside. I didn't know what to do. I felt my heart clench. The thought of losing Nico to another was almost as painful as when I had thought that he had died. I took a deep breath; I would find a way...

I couldn't stop a small voice in my mind from asking if I should. Calypso was amazing. She was a friend of mine and had been nothing but kind to us, even after I hurt her. I couldn't help but wonder if she would be better for him. After all, by her side he would become an immortal. That was definitely more than I could ever offer him.

I bit my lip. Part of me believed that walking away and allowing them a chance at love would be the right thing to do.

I sighed, I couldn't do it. Whether it was the right thing to do or not was beside the point. I loved him and I couldn't bring myself to willingly step aside for another. I guess I was just too selfish...

"Percy."

My eyes snapped back to the goddess. "Hello Calypso." My voice sounded dead.

"What are you doing up? You should be resting."

I shrugged and felt my eyes drift to the son of Hades. He was studiously avoiding my gaze. "I will be okay. I woke up and saw Nico was gone. I wanted to make sure that he was alright. He has a habit of wandering off on his own."

I heard her sigh and my eyes went back to the goddess. "What is with you demigods and not resting? Neither of you should be up. I was just helping Nico back to bed."

I couldn't help but smile at her. She sounded so exasperated. I knew from experience how fruitless it could be to try and convince the son of the underworld to do something. "Blame it on the ADHD. We don't like sitting in one place for extended periods of time."

She looked away from me. I could see the look of hurt on her face. I felt my stomach plummet at the knowledge that I was probably the cause. "I don't even know how either of you are awake right now. You both should have been out until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I found Nico trying to sneak off a few hours ago."

Nico looked down but I could see a blush on his cheeks. I had to smother a laugh. Seeing Nico standing before me was making me giddy with happiness. I had been so certain that I had lost him. Seeing him healthy and blushing was making my heart flutter. _Really, how could I not have noticed that I was in love with him? I know I can be oblivious but I didn't think it was this bad..._

"So what has my ghost king been up to?"

The instant the question was out of my mouth I felt my face begin to heat. I had not meant to call him mine. I wanted him to be mine, but he wasn't. Not yet at least.

Fortunately he didn't seem to notice. Or if he did notice he didn't respond. "We were talking. Nico was telling me about your adventures."

I looked at the goddess and my blush deepened. Knowing Nico, most of it was probably bad. He had hated me for most of his life. It was hard to say nice things about someone you hate. I hoped that he didn't hate me again. I would have to work twice as hard to make sure that he didn't...

I looked up and noticed the two of them watching me. The instant I met his gaze he looked away again. I had a feeling that I had missed something. I shook my head. I had forgotten how scattered my thoughts became around him.

"Sorry I zoned out there for a moment. What did you say?"

Calypso gave me a sad smile and repeated herself. "I said; since you are up do you want to go for a walk?"

I was busy trying to read Nico's facial expressions and so I was only half paying attention, "With who?"

"With me, I would invite Nico too but he needs sleep." I saw the son of Hades turn to disagree with her but she cut him off. "No arguing with me. You need sleep; doctor's orders."

I had expected him to put up a fight but he just slumped a little and nodded. I couldn't help but think that if Nico was actually showing that he was exhausted that he must be about ready to fall asleep on his feet. I was suddenly glad that no one could win an argument with Calypso. Nico really did need sleep.

"Here, I can take him inside." I stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his waist. I felt him stiffen but at least he didn't pull away. I couldn't help but think that was a good sign.

I had expected Calypso to let go and let me bring him in but she stayed on his other side and helped me to carry him. I kind of wished that I could have done it alone but it was probably for the best that she helped. My luck, I would have ended up falling and taking him down with me. I was certainly not 100% yet. I felt like I had been put through meat grinder.

I winced as I remembered the pain. If Nico needed me too, then I would do it again in a heartbeat but she was right. It was the most painful thing I had ever felt, and that was really saying something. It felt as though she was ripping every cell in my body in half, one by one. Just thinking about it made me want to sit down. I was very tempted to go to sleep as well but I had a feeling that Nico wouldn't want me near him.

I sighed. He may not hate me but he still clearly wanted nothing to do with me. It was a small consolation but I would take it. Something was better than nothing.

I helped Nico lay down as Calypso pulled the blanket up for him. He looked highly uncomfortable but at least he didn't pull away. I think he was more uncomfortable about being babied than the close contact.

Calypso stood up and motioned for me to follow. I nodded and signaled for her to go and that I would follow. She gave me a confused look but left without another word. I bit my lip and turned back to the son of Hades.

He had curled the blankets around him like a cocoon and had turned so that his back was to me. I smiled and it took all of my self-restraint not to cuddle up beside him. I felt myself blush and stamped down on that desire. The only thing that would get me would probably be a black eye.

"Nico?" I saw him stiffen so I knew he was awake. I waited for an answer but he didn't seem willing to talk to me. I bit my lip. I didn't know where to start. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Percy." His tone sounded angry.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I supposed that I deserved worse. "We were all really worried about you, especially Hazel." I debated over saying it. I didn't want to freak him out but I needed him to know. "I was really worried too. I... I don't think I've ever been that scared before. You kept getting worse. I was afraid that..."

I found myself unable to continue. Before, the thought of keeping him alive had occupied enough of my brain that I didn't have much time to dwell on the possibilities. Now that I knew he was safe, the pain hit me like a truck. He had come so close to death...

"I said I am fine Percy."

I looked down at the son of Hades. I felt my stomach start to knot. "Listen Nico, can I talk to you?"

"Please Percy, just leave me alone. I'm tired, I just want to sleep."

I blushed, "Oh, of course. Sorry, I will talk to you later. Sleep well ghost king."

I smiled at him as I left.

ΩΩΩ

I stepped out of the cave into the gathering darkness. I looked around and saw Calypso waiting just down the path for me. I took a deep breath and walked towards her. There were so many things I needed to say. "Calypso, I..."

She raised a hand to silence me. "You don't need to say anything."

I blinked. She had sounded so calm. I had expected her to yell at me, I wasn't sure what to do. I decided to stick with step one and go from there. "I want to. I've wanted to apologize for my actions. You're my friend and I didn't treat you as a friend should and for that I am sorry. I also wanted to thank you. Even though I treated you like a jerk, you helped me when I needed you to. If it wasn't for you, Nico would be..." I winced at the thought.

"You don't need to apologize. Nico told me what you did." I gave her a baffled look. She smiled at me and continued. "He told me that you asked the gods to free me."

I looked down in guilt. "Well, ya. But I should have made sure that they kept their word."

She laughed. "Only you would feel guilty for getting amnesia."

I looked at her and gave her a sad smile. "I just feel like there was more I could have done."

She looked at me and gave me a serious look. "You did what you could, besides your here now. I always knew that you would be the greatest of all the heroes." I could see the pain in her eyes.

I wanted to erase that pain. I couldn't give her my heart. Once again it belonged to another, but I could make her smile. "The moonlace you gave me is flourishing." She looked at me and gave me a genuine smile. "My mom even planted a few other flowers in the window box with it. It's our own personal garden."

We started walking around her island as we chatted about nothing. It seemed that we were both content just to be in each others company. It almost felt like it had those many years ago. I could see that she had something she wanted to know but I decided to allow her to ask me in her own time.

I could see the light just beginning to touch the horizon. We had circled the whole island. We were within sight of the cave again before she asked me.

"Percy, can I ask you a question?"

I smiled down at the goddess, "Of course."

"What exactly is between you and Nico?" I felt my face begin to heat. "You seem to really care for each other but then when the two of you are together he looks so mad."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "That's a very long story."

She looked at me and put her hand on my arm. "We have time."

I bit my lip and looked at the first rays of light beginning to dance on the horizon. I took a deep breath and for the first time, I said the words aloud.

"I love him." I looked at her wondering about her reaction. She looked surprised but she didn't look disgusted or anything.

"And what does he think about it?"

"He doesn't know yet. I only figured it out when he was attacked. I... I thought I lost him."

She gave me a small smile, "You have to tell him."

"I intend to, but it's a little more complicated than that."

"Why?"

"Well, I realized a while ago that I had a crush on him. He said that he thought that he might like me as well. We had started to get closer to each other and I panicked. I... I hadn't figured out just how much he meant to me and so I broke it off." I frowned and looked away.

She scoffed and raised an eyebrow at me. "You're an idiot. You know that right?"

I smiled. "So I've been told."

"So, now what are you going to do?"

I smiled at her. "I'm going to win him back."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"I have no idea."

She looked out over the ocean in silence. I took a deep breath and tried not to fall asleep. I was exhausted. Eventually she shook her head and turned back to me with a determined expression.

"Are you serious about your feelings for him?"

I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion. "Yes."

She looked at me and nodded. "Then I will help you."

I was shocked. I could never have imagined Calypso agreeing to help me with my love life. "Really? But... why?" I didn't mean to sound so incredulous but I was shocked.

She gave me a sad smile and I could see just how much heartbreak was hidden in her ancient eyes. "Simple. I know what it is like to have an unrequited love. You both deserve happiness and unless I am mistake, I think he still cares for you as well."

I bit my lip. I didn't know as to whether or not to believe her about his feelings but either way, I knew that I could use her help. I smiled at her. "Alright, what do we do first?"


	32. Chapter 32

**So this is my birthday gift to all of you... (I'm going with the hobbit tradition of giving gifts to others on ones birthday) It's a new chapter! Do you like it? :-) **

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

Even though I was exhausted I had a hard time falling asleep. I couldn't stop my brain from over thinking everything that Percy had done and said. It was foolish. I knew that he had made his choice but my mind couldn't stop dissecting his actions. When I did finally succumb to my exhaustion, my dreams were plagued by thoughts of the sea.

I groaned as I woke up. A poor sleep combined with the after affect of a major healing had put me in a foul mood. I rubbed my eyes and made my way to the opening of the cave.

I had just stepped foot into the afternoon sun when I was pulled into a hug. I stiffened and turned to glare at the offending party. My expression dropped however when I saw my sister. She looked so relieved to see me that she tears of joy streaming down her face. I bit my lip as I returned the embrace.

She was shaking. "I'm so glad that you're okay. I was so worried that you'd..."

I smiled into her hair and drew back so that I could see her eyes. I placed a kiss on her forehead before I completely pulled away. "It's alright. Don't worry, I am fine now. Besides... it would take more than some puny sea snake to take me down."

She chuckled and grabbed my hand. "Come on, the others are down at the beach. They are all waiting for you."

I frowned. I really wasn't ready to face a certain son of the sea god yet. I sighed and allowed her to pull me towards the ocean.

I needn't have worried. Percy wasn't even there. It was the other crew members and Calypso. They were all seated on the sand having a picnic. Jason saw me first. I watched as his jaw fell open and his sandwich dropped to the ground. Before anyone else could even turn to see what he was looking at he was up and running towards us. When the others saw what he had, they were soon to follow.

Jason ran up to me and shook his head. "Don't you ever do that to us again."

Before I could react the son of Jupiter pulled me into a hug. I had already had my fill of physical contact for the day by the time the others joined us. They all crowded around us shouting their joy at seeing me out and about.

I felt uncomfortable with all the attention that they were giving me, and then Piper made it worse by starting a group hug. Piper jumped forwards and embraced me so I was sandwiched between her and the golden boy. Before I could even voice my complaint Frank, Hazel, and Ryan had joined in as well.

I tried to pull away but they refused to release me. Hazel laughed and shook her head. "You aren't getting away that easily. Consider this your punishment for scaring all of us half to death."

I couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on my face. It may have been awkward as hell but if it made my sister happy than I could endure it.

Eventually everyone pulled away. I was quite glad that I no longer had five people touching me but unfortunately, I was still the center of attention. Jason wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards the picnic. He made sure to wedge me between himself and Hazel.

I nodded in greeting as I accepted a sandwich from Calypso. After a few minutes the conversations started up again. I tried to keep my eyes from looking for him but I failed. Jason noticed my wandering gaze and whispered in my ear. "He's sleeping."

For a second I was confused. I had just been sleeping and I hadn't seen him. Then my brain kicked in and reminded me that he had a cabin on board the Argo. I tried to stop myself from blushing.

I couldn't help but think about why he would still be sleeping. I knew that he had gone for a walk with Calypso but I had no way of knowing just how long they had spent together. I looked at the sun and had to guess that it would be some time around noon. The sun had just been setting when they left, so if he was sleeping they must have spent hours talking.

I bit my lip and looked down. I couldn't help but remember the prophecy. If he had spent that long with Calypso, did that mean he was rediscovering his feelings for her? I had a feeling that Calypso still cared for him, even if she no longer loved him as she once had.

I supposed that I could understand how he might find her attractive. I looked at her and I could that she was beautiful. I didn't know her that well but I could see how kind and compassionate she was.

I frowned and looked away. I tried to ignore my thoughts but they kept coming back to the way he was looking at the two of us last night. He had almost seemed jealous.

ΩΩΩ

We had just finished our picnic when Percy found us. I saw him smile at me and my heart beat painfully in my chest. It always surprised me just how strongly I could react to such a simple gesture.

I stood up and turned to walk away.

Calypso called out to me before I could leave. "Nico, would you like a tour of the island? Everyone else has already had one."

I turned back and nodded at the goddess. "Yes, I would appreciate that."

She smiled at me and looked towards the son of Poseidon. "Percy, would you mind showing him around? I need to start packing." I felt my stomach clench.

Percy gave her a huge smile and squeezed her shoulder. "Sure, I'd love too."

I felt myself pale at the sight, _so there is something between them..._ "No it's okay. I will be fine on my own."

Percy pulled away and walked towards me. "Nonsense, it's not really a tour if you do it by yourself. Come on."

He reached out to grab my hand and I pulled away. I glared at him and he raised his hands in surrender. "I said I will be fine. You just woke up so you must be hungry. Sit and eat your food. The islands not that big, it's not like I'm going to get lost."

Percy rolled his eyes and grabbed a sandwich. He raised his eyebrows at me as he took a bite. "I'm fairly certain I can walk and chew at the same time. Besides, you already said that you wanted a tour so come on, let's go." He started walking away. After a few steps he turned back around, "You coming or what?" I frowned and reluctantly followed.

ΩΩΩ

It may not have been a very big island but it was quite beautiful. The ocean, the white sand, the trees, it was truly a paradise.

Percy showed me all around the island. I had a feeling that I would have really enjoyed the afternoon if it wasn't for how he was acting. I wasn't certain if he was purposely doing it or if he just kept forgetting that he had chosen Annabeth. The entire afternoon he kept flirting with me...

For example, a leaf fell in my hair, so he reached over and ran his fingers through it to get it out. And somehow whenever we would go down a path he managed to end up walking so close we were almost touching. He even picked a flower off a tree and gave it to me. The worst was when he tried to hold my hand; he would only back off when I glared at him.

I couldn't understand as to why he was torturing me like that. It was driving me insane. I wasn't certain how many mixed signals I could take before I snapped.

By the end of the afternoon I was very glad that the island was so small. I was dying to get away from him. The longer I spent with him the more it reminded me of what I would never have.

Percy led us back to Calypso's cave. He smiled at me, "Thanks for letting me show you around the island Nico." He had tried to make small talk with me all afternoon but I simply couldn't take it. I glared at him and started to walk away.

I felt his hand on my arm and pulled away. "What do you want now?" My voice came out as a furious growl. He looked shocked and stepped back. I felt my features soften slightly; I didn't want to scare him.

He bit his lip and looked down. He looked pained. It made me want to reach out to him but I stopped myself. Mixed signals or not, he had made it clear how he felt for me.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I was a child of Hades, holding grudges was supposed to be my fatal flaw, so how was it that a single pout from the son of the sea god could completely erase any anger I felt towards him?

I looked at him and softened my tone. "What did you need?"

He looked at me and then looked away again. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

He met my gaze and started towards me before he stopped himself. "I was a jerk. I... I don't want you to hate me." I heard him mumble something but I didn't really catch it.

I sighed and looked away. _If only hating you was that easy, then we wouldn't be in this situation._ I shook my head. If that knowledge was all it would take to get him to stop playing with my head, then I would do it. "I don't hate you."

He looked at me like I had just given him everything on his Christmas list. The joy on his face from that simple statement was enough to pierce my heart. "Nico, I want to tell you something..."

I found myself unable to stay with him any longer. It didn't matter what it was, it could never heal the hole that he had put in my heart. "I need to go."

Before he could say another word I dropped into the nearest shadow and was gone.

ΩΩΩ

I didn't even know where I wanted to go. I subconsciously ended up in front of Jason's cabin. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was about to walk away when the door opened.

"Nico?"

I looked up at the golden boy and his eyes widened. Without a word he stepped aside so that I could enter.

The son of Jupiter sat on the bed and patted the spot beside him. "Tell me everything..."

I didn't even know where to start. I was so confused and hurt. I ended up telling him everything that had happened the night before, during my tour, and even my suspicions about Calypso him. He listened quietly and didn't interrupt. I didn't look at him once, not until I had finished.

When I had gotten everything off my chest I risked a glance at my closest friend. I had expected him to be pissed like he normally was when I told him about something that Percy had done, but he wasn't. I couldn't quite understand his expression. It was a mixture of sadness, anger, confusion, and something almost hopeful.

He saw me looking at him and he hid his expressions. "What?"

He bit his lip and looked down. "I am not sure what to tell you Nico... I don't completely understand everything that you've told me."

"But you know something, something that you're not telling me."

Jason adopted an innocently confused look until I glared at him. He sighed and looked away. "I don't know what to think. Percy has been acting really strange since the attack."

"Percy is always strange; its part of what makes him Percy."

He looked towards me, "You didn't see him Nico." He shook his head. "I think I might know what's going on but I can't say anything. Not until I have a chance to speak with him myself."

"But what do you think is going on?"

Jason looked at me with a serious expression. He looked hesitant but finally spoke, "Are you certain that you want my opinion?" I nodded. "Don't give up just yet..."


	33. Chapter 33

**Wow, this story is really popular. I've decided that once it gets to 150 followers I am going to post a cute one-shot for all of you. It will be about the first time Nico saw Percy. :-) Why? Because I want to write it and that will give me an excuse to do so. LOL. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

After Nico left, I wandered down to the beach. I was not sure how long I sat there simply watching the waves. I knew that I needed to go and speak to Calypso, she would be wondering how her plan to get Nico to spend time with me had gone. I was not looking forward to telling her that it had pretty much crashed and burned.

Eventually I decided that I had wasted enough time. I knew that if I didn't go and find her she would come looking for me. I sighed and started to make my way to her house.

When I got to the opening of the cave I couldn't believe my eyes. Nearly everything was already gone. The only things that were left in the room were the large furniture that she wouldn't be bringing and a few boxes. I spotted the goddess kneeling in the far corner of the room, packing the last few object that were left on the book case.

"Wow, remind me to call you next time I need help moving."

Calypso turned around and smiled at me. "We all have our powers." She placed the final item in the box and closed the flaps.

I laughed, "I can see your title now, Calypso, goddess of packing. I bet Hermes would hire you."

She laughed as she walked over to me. "So, how did it go?" I grimaced. She raised an eyebrow, "That good hey?"

I sighed and rubbed my neck, "Pretty much. Good news is he doesn't hate me. Bad news, that is as much as I can claim."

She frowned in understanding. "So how did he react when you told him?" I bit my lip and looked at her. I could feel the guilt on my face. Calypso looked pissed. "You didn't tell him?"

I had to resist the urge to take a step back. I raised my hands in defense. "I tried to, but he ran away."

Her glare faded and she looked at me sadly. "Oh..."

I felt my shoulders slump, "Ya."

We stood there in silence for a few minutes, wrapped in our thoughts. I was thinking of the afternoon. Even if Nico had been angry and unfriendly I still had a good time. I had missed hanging out with him. I wished that we could have simply gone back to the way we used to be but I wasn't an idiot. I had to convince him I was worth it. The problem was I couldn't think of anything about me that would be able to persuade him that I was worth another shot.

I sighed, if anyone could help me it would be Calypso. "So, what is our next plan?"

"What is it that you're planning for?"

I jumped a little and spun back to the entrance. I hadn't heard anyone coming. "Jason, what are you doing here?"

The golden boy walked closer to where we were standing. "I was looking for you. What is it that you are planning exactly?"

"Um..." I felt myself blush.

It wasn't that I didn't want to tell Jason about my feelings for the son of Hades, it was just that I had a feeling that he would not approve. I knew that he was furious at me when I hurt the son of the underworld and I didn't want him working to stop me from getting Nico back. I didn't want to add any extra obstacles. I bit my lip. Depending on his reaction, this could majorly blow up in my face...

"Well, I um... she might be helping me try to win Nico back?" It ended up sounding like a question.

Jason blinked and smiled. "I knew it!"

I was confused. "Wait, what do you mean you knew it?"

Jason laughed and rolled his eyes. "Percy, you are many things but subtle is not one of them. I've seen the way you've been acting around him lately. I'm happy for you guys, you are going to be so dam cute together."

"Rewind and freeze, first off I haven't won him back yet. There's a good chance he won't want anything to do with me. Secondly, since when do you think we are a good couple? I thought you wanted me to have nothing to do with him."

Jason froze for a second. He looked at me in disbelief, "Really? You haven't figured it out yet?"

I could feel my confusion growing. "Figured what out? And don't avoid the question."

Jason shook his head. "Nothing I guess. As for your question, I suppose since you started to act like you might really like him." I felt myself start to blush. I met Jason's gaze and I saw his jaw drop. "Wait, do you... are you in **love** with him?"

So far I had only admitted the extent of my feelings for Nico to Calypso. I felt my blush deepen. I took a deep breath and nodded.

Jason shook his head and looked at me seriously. I couldn't understand his change in behaviour. "Are you serious about this? You are in love with Nico? Think very carefully before you answer..."

I had done almost nothing but think about it for the past four days, "Absolutely."

Jason narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Then I should tell you that if you hurt him again, I will beat you within an inch of your life."

I was surprised. I was pretty sure that most days I could take him but the look that he was giving me made me doubt myself. It didn't matter though, it was a moot point.

I held his gaze and used the same serious tone that he had. "I have no intention of hurting him, not again."

"Good. With that said," Jason smiled at me, "Do you want some help?"

ΩΩΩ

The eight of us were standing on deck about half an hour before sun rise. We wanted to make sure that we wouldn't miss our chance.

I once again took the helm while Jason and Frank untied the mooring lines. Ryan stood beside me to help guide us back to Apollo's island. I went through the complicated launch sequence and we were off.

Calypso was standing at the prow of the ship looking forward. It was quite clear that, after a few millennia, she was ready to see anything that wasn't Ogygia. After ten minutes we reached the edge of her island and we were forced to begin a slow circle as we waited for entrance to Apollo's island.

We watched in silence as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. A few seconds later Ryan spotted it.

"There. About ten miles ahead and slightly to the right," I corrected my course and tried to keep the ship as straight as possible.

After a few minutes I could begin to see the same hazy fog I had the first time we had travelled to his island. As it began to thicken, I turned behind me and took one last look at the island fading into the distance. I had a feeling that, without Calypso there, Ogygia would become nothing more than a memory. I smiled at the paradise and turned back to face the goddess who had been imprisoned there for so many years. I couldn't help but wonder as to what she would think of the modern world...

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I was avoiding Percy. I hadn't spoken to him since the tour. I had finally had enough.

He certainly wasn't making it easy though, it seemed every chance he got he would come and find me. We had left Ogygia just over twenty-four hours earlier and he had come to speak to me eight times.

I couldn't figure out if he was actually trying to torture me or if he simply thought that we could go right back to the friends that we used to be. At least I hadn't had to work with him yet. Jason had assigned the tasks and for some reason had me working with Percy on quite a few shifts.

I sighed. I couldn't understand what Jason was doing. He knew how I felt and yet seemed to be pushing me towards the son of Poseidon. I told him about how Percy kept trying to talk to me and he told me that I should give him a chance.

I knew that Jason had told me that I shouldn't give up on him but I couldn't think like that. If I allowed myself hope then I would only be hurt again.

I had allowed myself to dream that Percy could see me as more than a friend and even when my dream had come true, he had still chosen Annabeth. He always would. Why wouldn't he? She was beautiful, and smart, and kind, and strong, and most importantly, a female. There was no way that I could compete with that.

I sighed and looked out over the ocean. I was in charge of steering the ship and as such had a perfect view of what was happening on deck.

I saw Piper and Hazel sparing. Hazel was getting pretty good; I had seen her beat Frank a few times. I could see Ryan trying to explain to Calypso what YouTube was. She looked rather disbelieving. I also saw when Percy and Jason came up on deck.

The son of the sea god looked around and spotted me. I gave him my best death glare as he started walking over to me. He paused and looked away in disappointment. It hurt me to see but not as much as speaking to him would.

Every time he came to speak to me he would stand far to close. He would reach out to me only to pull away again when I would glare. He would look into my eyes like he had never decided to break off whatever it was we had. It was killing me.

Jason looked at me and shook his head. I saw him whisper something to Percy who shrugged and went to talk to Calypso. The son of Jupiter came over to stand beside me.

For a few minutes we just stood there without a word as I tried to keep my eyes from looking at the son of Poseidon. When I did finally break down and glance at him I saw him looking at me too. The instant he saw me looking he blushed and looked away. What was strange to me is that I had noticed over the last day that he seemed to be watching me as often as I watched him. I sighed; he was probably just wondering why I was avoiding him.

"Why don't you go talk to him?"

I glared at the golden boy. "You know perfectly well why."

Jason raised his hands in surrender. "I just don't understand why you can't even give him a chance to say what he's got to say. For all you know, it could be something good."

I scoffed. "Ya right. If I have learned anything, it's that nothing good happens in my life. Even if it seems good at first, it ends badly. Besides, I don't need to hear him out to know what he's going to say. I already know what it is."

Jason raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Somehow I doubt that. What is it you think he's going to say?"

I glared at the ocean. "Something along the lines of, 'I miss you; we should still be friends'."

Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Just go and talk to him."

"Why are you taking his side? Do you know what it is he's going to say?" Jason tried to keep a straight face but I saw him blush. I narrowed my eyes at the son of the sky god. "You do? Tell me, and then I won't have to talk to him."

Jason started to shake his head. He took a step back but before he could respond there was a flash of light.

I looked towards the prow of the ship and saw Apollo leaning against the railing. He looked around and his eyes locked on Percy. He smiled, "Hey everyone."


	34. Chapter 34

**LOL. Wow, no one seems to trust Apollo, poor god of truth... :-) I have been planning this chapter since I first introduced him. I'm excited. We finally get to find out as to why Apollo wouldn't heal Nico.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I glared at the sun god. _What is he doing here...?_

"Lord Apollo. To what do we owe the honor?" I glared at the son of Jupiter beside me, why were Romans always so formal?

The god of music glanced at Jason, "I was asked to deliver a message to Calypso."

I frowned. Before anyone could ask what the message was, Percy spoke. "I thought that delivering messages was Hermes job."

Apollo laughed. "It is. I agreed to do this one as a favor." He winked at the son of Poseidon and I had to grit my teeth.

Calypso stepped forward. "What is the message Lord Apollo?"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Hello Calypso. Long time no see, you're looking good."

The goddess rolled her eyes and politely smiled. "Thank you, now about that message?"

Apollo blinked and then grinned once more. "Zeus would like to speak to you. He's in the throne room on Olympus."

I looked at the Calypso. I could sense that she was nervous. I didn't blame her. The last time she would have been too Olympus would have been when she was sentenced to spend the next few millennia on a cursed island.

"Of course, but I do have my belongings in the cargo..."

Apollo snapped his fingers. "Already taken care of, I moved them to your room on Olympus."

The goddess nodded and turned to our crew. "Thank you heroes, I owe you a great debt. I am certain that we shall meet again." She turned to Percy and put her hand on his shoulder. I frowned and had to look away. "Good luck Percy."

There was a bright flash and when I looked back Calypso was gone. I hoped that I would see her again. I didn't know what Zeus wanted but I prayed that she would be alright.

Apollo cleared his throat to regain our attention.

"So, now that that's out of the way, good job. The seven of you have done what no other demigod has ever been able to. You found Ogygia and freed Calypso." Apollo turned to his son and smiled, "I am proud of all of you."

I watched as Ryan smiled at his dad. I could see that the son of the sun god wanted to hug him but wasn't certain as to how he would be received. Apollo started to chuckle and stepped forward to embrace his son. Ryan looked surprised but returned the hug. I could never imagine my dad hugging me like that but then again, neither of us were exactly affectionate people.

Apollo pulled back and clasped his son on the shoulder. "Good job Ryan." I could see exactly how much Apollo's praise meant to him. The sun god looked around once more before his eyes locked on the son of the sea god. "I have to leave soon but before I go I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment Percy."

Percy looked shocked, "Me? Okay, sure."

I watched as he stood up and walked towards the god. For a second I could have sworn that Apollo's eyes flashed to mine before he wrapped his arm around Percy's shoulders.

For one moment the jealousy I felt was so severe that I couldn't see. I hadn't even realized that I had started to pull the shadows towards myself until Jason clamped his hand on my shoulder in warning. I grit my teeth and forced myself to release the shadows. I watched as Apollo pulled Percy to the very front of the ship to speak. I couldn't stand the sight of someone else holding my sea-prince, I had to look away.

I didn't believe I had ever felt as jealous of anyone as I did in that moment. The years I had spent watching Percy and Annabeth together were nothing compared to seeing Percy in the arms of Apollo. I wasn't entirely certain why.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind...

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I was highly uncomfortable with Apollo's arm around me. I started to feel very nervous about the coming conversation. I silently prayed that Apollo was not about to come onto me. Mortals who refused the gods tended to get turned into shrubbery...

We got to the very front of the ship and I managed to slip out of his hold. I leaned onto the railing and Apollo sat beside me. I looked back over the ship to see my friend watching me nervously. I glanced towards the helm but Nico didn't even seem to care. He was just looking out over the waves with the same angry mask that had been on his face for the last six day. I sighed and looked at the Olympian beside me. He seemed to be watching me with amusement.

I couldn't understand why he always insisted on making me break the silence. I tried to resist but after what felt like hours, yet was probably only a couple of minutes, my ADHD got the better of me. "So what can I help you with Apollo?"

Apollo smiled. "Nothing actually, I came here to help you."

"Help me with what? We've already freed Calypso."

The god of music started to laugh. "Who said it was about her? I am here to help you with the son of Hades."

I felt myself start to blush. "What about him?"

Apollo shook his head. "One doesn't have to be the goddess of love to see that you have a thing for him... or to see that he likes you."

I bit my lip. "Forgive me for saying so but I think you wrong about Nico. He doesn't like me anymore; he won't even let me talk to him."

The god of healing spread his arms and smirked. "That is what I've come to help you with."

I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. _A god is offering me help...?_ "What's the catch?"

"Who says that there's a catch?"

I rolled my eyes. "There's always a catch when a god offers to help."

Apollo shrugged, "That is usually true but this time, it's not you who asked me to help. A certain Olympian did that."

"Who was it?" I couldn't understand why any god would care so deeply about my love life.

Apollo raised and eyebrow and smirked, "You really can't guess? It was Aphrodite of course."

"What?" I frowned. "She wanted me to be with..." I couldn't bring myself to say **her **name.

"Says who? Besides, this quest is about love and she is very interested in the outcome..."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. What exactly does freeing Calypso have to do with love?"

"Absolutely nothing, but don't you remember the prophecy? The son of Hades is quite important to the second half of the quest." I could clearly remember the words that Rachel had spoken...

"_Seven demigods shall travel to where the sun is risen,_

_The goddess shall be saved from her eternal prison,_

_For an old love one's heart shall begin to yearn,_

_For a new love, a passion, shall begin to burn,_

_A choice to be made, a matter of heart,_

_To old love be true, or new love to start."_

I felt my jaw drop but I couldn't do anything about it. The new love was Nico. Now that I looked back it was painfully obvious. My brain felt like it was going a hundred miles an hour...

Apollo smiled knowingly at me. "This quest was only partially to do with Calypso. It was mostly about you."

I shook my head. "But if this quest is about love, then why are you the one here?"

The god of music shrugged. "She asked me to come lend a hand to the quest. Apparently the son of Hades had a bad experience with her son, Cupid, and now doesn't trust her... She offered me a favor, and it's never a bad idea to have the goddess of love owe you one."

"But if she asked you to help, then why didn't you heal Nico?"

"I told you Zeus ordered against it. Besides, even if he hadn't she would have asked me not to."

I felt myself starting to get mad. "Why? He nearly died!"

Apollo gave me a warning look and I took a deep breath. "Let me ask you this, if Nico hadn't been attacked, do you think you would have discovered how you felt about him?"

I blinked. I wish that I could have said yes but I didn't think that I would have. I had been acting amazingly obtuse. I sighed in defeat, "Probably not."

"Exactly. Your love life could have gone two ways. Aphrodite wanted you to see both paths."

I bit my lip. "And now that I have seen both ways?"

"What you do is up to you."

I tilted my head. "Why are you explaining all this to me? Not that I don't appreciate it but I'm used to gods keeping me in the dark about their motives."

Apollo smiled and gestured behind him. I looked over his shoulder and saw Nico glaring at us. "Aphrodite was getting tired of him avoiding you. Apparently he is the jealous type."

I started laughing. "So that's why you put your arm around me. I was thinking that you had a crush on me. You had me worried there for a moment, I was positive I was going to spend the rest of my life as a house plant."

The sun god chuckled. "Well you are stunning but Poseidon would beat me to a bloody pulp if I was to corrupt his baby boy. And I really don't feel like drowning anytime soon."

I blushed. I wondered what my dad would think of me having a boyfriend...

I bit my lip and smiled at the sun god, "So, now what do I do?"

Apollo stood up and put his hand on my shoulder. "Now you go talk to him. It's a small ship Percy. He can only avoid you for so long..."

I smiled at the god of music. "Thank you Apollo."

He winked at me, "Don't mention it." I blinked and when I opened my eyes he was gone.

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I was in a terrible mood. I don't know what he said but ever since Apollo had left, Percy seemed to be on cloud nine. I didn't want Apollo to be the one who made Percy happy, I wanted it to be me that brought a smile to the face of the sea prince.

_But you aren't making him smile. You are the one making him frown... _I sighed. Sometimes I hated my brain...

I wanted listen to what he had to say, I really did, but I was terrified. I couldn't take Jason's advice because if he was wrong I would be crushed.

After my shift was done I went to my room. I didn't want to hang around and listen to Jason try to convince me. I couldn't wait to get back to camp. I needed a long holiday away from a certain green eyed demigod.

I was lying on my bed with my arm across my eyes when I heard a knock on the door. I rolled my eyes but didn't get up. Only one person ever came to my room. "Go away Grace..."

The knocking paused for a moment before resuming. I sighed and sat up. I unlocked the door, "I said go away Gra..." My mouth froze halfway through the word. Standing outside my room with his hand still in the air was the handsome son of the sea god.

"We need to talk." I didn't think I had ever seen Percy look as serious as he did at that moment.

"Go away." I tried to close the door but Percy put his foot in the door jam and pushed it open.

"No, I'm tired of you avoiding me. I have something that I need to tell you and I'm not leaving until I do."

I felt my heart pick up its pace. Percy was in my room. I took a deep breath and forced the blush away from my face. "Fine, I will leave then."

I took a step towards the open door before it was slammed shut. I felt my stomach clench as I watched Percy lock the bolt. The next thing I knew he was spinning me around and pushing my back against the door.

"Percy, what are you..."

I was silenced when a pair of soft warm lips were pressed against mine. I felt my eyes go wide and my heart started to race.

_Percy was kissing me...!_


	35. Chapter 35

**150 followers, thanks you guys. That's amazing. I have posted that one shot that I promised all of you; it's called Eyes of Sea-Green.**

**Finally, here it is... The chapter we've all been waiting for. LOL So much Percico! **

**Enjoy. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

_Oh gods, Percy is kissing me..._

I felt my body begin to freeze. Why was Percy kissing me? He wanted Annabeth. He had made that perfectly clear. I knew that I was supposed to be pushing him away but my body wasn't responding. I felt him tangle his fingers in my hair and I could once again taste that faint hint of salt on his lips.

I had still yet to respond when he started to pull away. _No..._

I wrapped my arms around him and I pulled him back against me. My lips started to move against his before my mind had time to catch up with my body. He froze for a moment before he started to kiss me back.

I wasn't entirely certain what to do. This was only the second time someone had kissed me and only other time that it had happened, I had been frozen in place. I tried to mimic what Percy was doing. I didn't think that it would feel as miraculous as what his lips were achieving but I still felt him shudder against me.

I felt his tongue run along my bottom lip and I gasped. He took advantage of my response to explore my mouth. His tongue pulled mine into a battle that he easily won. He dominated the kiss, investigating every crevice of my mouth. The slight salty taste of his lips was even stronger on his tongue, I shivered at the sensation.

I could never have imagined that kissing Percy would feel so wonderful. It was even better than I had thought it would be. I had never kissed anyone else but I could tell that he was an amazing kisser. The feeling of Percy kissing me made it impossible for my brain to think of anything else.

I hadn't even noticed that we were moving until I felt Percy pull me down into his lap. I pulled away for air and noticed that both of us were panting. My gaze was locked on his sea-green eyes. I was unable to look away but out the corner of my eye I noticed that we were sitting on my bed. I felt a dark blush rush to my face at the knowledge that Percy was on my bed.

I saw his pupils dilate before he was kissing me once more. I felt my arms move to wrap around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist and pulled me even closer. The feeling of Percy's hands exploring my back had me shivering in pleasure.

My hands slid up and I ran my fingers through his silky hair, it was even softer than I had imagined. I had always wanted to feel his hair but I had always been too nervous, I was worried that I would push him too far and he would leave. I felt his tongue flick against mine and on an impulse, I bit his lip. He gasped and my heart constricted at the sound.

I felt one of his hands slid up my back to tighten in my hair and his mouth left mine. Before I had time to complain I felt his lips moving against my throat. My eyes nearly rolled back at the sensation. I felt his teeth graze my skin and a moan fell from my lips.

The sound was enough to clear my mind. I realized that I was kissing Percy. I felt myself blush and I pulled away. I stood up and took a step back. My face was on fire as I tried to straighten my shirt.

_How could I be so stupid? What's wrong with me? He doesn't want me like that, not like I want him. What is he doing?_

I turned my back to him and took a deep breath trying to calm my heart. I felt myself shivering at the loss of his body heat. I wanted to ask him what that was about but I wasn't yet able to form a coherent sentence. I remembered the feeling of his lips and my mind once again went blank...

I turned to look at Percy and my blush got even darker. He was flushed and his hair was messy, reminding me of what had just happened. He shook his head and let out a breath. "I'm sorry. That was not the way I planned to say... not that it wasn't... just... wow."

I watched as he ran a hand through his hair and swallowed against the feeling. I bit my lip and tried not to shiver at the sight. The knowledge that I was the one who had done that to him was a heady thing. I had always dreamed of seeing him like that, but to actually witness it was something else.

He bit his lip and looked up at me with a guilty look on his face. For a moment my heart felt like it would shatter.

"I came here to talk to you. I'm sorry for kissing you. Well, I'm not sorry for actually kissing you, that was the most amazing thing I've ever felt... but I'm sorry for kissing you without your permission."

My heart began to swell in my chest, _the most amazing thing he's ever felt? _

I felt myself blush again and I looked down to try to hide my reaction. I heard him groan and my eyes shot to his. "Please don't do that, you're making it very hard to stay focused."

I felt my eyebrows furrow, "Do what?"

He stood up and lifted my face so that he could see me better. "Blush like that," Of course his statement made me blush even darker. "Yes, exactly like that. I'm trying to tell you something but this," He ran the tips of his fingers across my cheek and I nearly began to swoon, "Is making it very hard to keep myself from kissing you again."

I had to bit my lip in order to keep myself from pulling him towards me. I didn't know what he was up to but the feeling of his hands caressing my face nearly destroyed what little rational thought I had left. I took a deep breath and stepped back.

I was nervous to hear him out but I knew that I had to. "What did you need to say?"

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I felt my cheeks blush and I had to look down. "I wanted to say... I mean that I..." I looked into Nico's eyes and I felt my gaze lock with his. I ended up blurting it out, "Leaving you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

_Well so much for my speech..._

I was very nervous but I couldn't look away. I needed to see his reaction.

I saw the son of Hades blink twice but other than that he didn't move. I began to get very anxious before he shook his head. I felt my heart plummet. I closed my eyes and took a shaking breath. I knew that the chance that he could forgive me had been a long shot but the knowledge felt like a knife to the chest. I opened my eyes with the intent of leaving before I saw him looking at me in wonder.

"What did you say?"

I felt myself blush once more. It was hard to say but I wanted to tell him the truth. I would have always regretted it if I didn't. "I was an idiot. You were one of the best things that ever happened to me and I threw it away." I felt myself beginning to babble but I couldn't stop. "I will always regret that but I understand if you can't forgive me. I mean, there is nothing great about me and I know that there's nothing I can do to win you back. I just wanted to tell you that I..."

I was silenced when a pair of cool arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. For a second I was stunned. _How could he forgive me so easily?_ Then I realized that as long as he wanted me, I didn't care why.

I felt his cool lips begin to move against mine. The taste of his lips was indescribably Nico. They tasted almost like ice with a fruity tinge too them. I recognized the slight taste of fruit from the time that he had convinced me to try a pomegranate. I hadn't liked the fruit at the time but now, I had a feeling that I would enjoy it.

I felt a cool tongue hesitantly flick at my lips and I groaned at the sensation. I happily obliged him. I opened my mouth and allowed him to explore. I could feel that the movement was slightly awkward to him. It was obvious to me that I was the only one he had ever kissed, but rather than making it less enjoyable, it heightened it. I liked the thought that I was the only one who had ever tasted his lips.

I shivered at the thought. I allowed him to control the kiss for another moment or so before I broke down and took dominance. He let me take charge and I pulled him even closer to me. Finally having him in my arms was an amazing feeling.

I nipped at his lip and it earned my a moan from the son of Hades. I chuckled at the sound before I pulled back.

I lifted one of the arms that was around him to brush his cheek. "So does this mean that you can forgive me for being an idiot?"

Nico blushed and hesitantly reached a hand out to run it through my hair. "Yes," he bit his lip and looked like he wanted to say something. Before I could ask he shook his head and smirked, "Besides, being an idiot is part of your charm."

I laughed and pulled the son of the underworld back to me. "I'm glad to hear you think that. So, what do you say? Will you go out with me, my ghost king?"

I watched as his eyes widened in surprise before the biggest smile I had ever seen spread across his face. "I would be happy to, my sea prince."

I smiled as I kissed him once more. I could finally call him mine...

ΩΩΩ

The two of us were lying on his bed. I had my arm around him and his head was on my chest. We hadn't actually said very much. I was curious as to why he was so forgiving but I decided that, at that moment, I was content to simply lie there with the son of Hades.

I ran my fingers through his hair and listened to his steady breathing. I tilted my head so that I could see him and chuckled when I realized that he had fallen asleep. It amazed me how easily he could sleep with me there. I smiled and rested my head on top of his. He shifted closer to me but didn't wake up. I smiled as he curled his fingers into my shirt.

I felt myself beginning to lose consciousness but I didn't want to wake him up. I tightened my hold around him and closed my eyes.

Right before I fell asleep I realized that I had never told him what I had gone there to say. I smiled and whispered the words into his hair.

"I love you my ghost king."


	36. Chapter 36

**Hahaha, don't worry everyone. The story is not over yet. :-) Also, please note the rating of T. There will be kissing, nothing beyond that... I really don't see a need to change the rating to M, but I don't want anyone flagging my story. What do you think? I trust the opinions of my readers.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I was in that stage halfway between waking and dreaming. I had always loved that stage; it was where anything could happen and yet your dreams still felt real. As always, my mind awoke to soon.

I opened my eyes and I saw that I was in my cabin. I was lying in my bed. Percy wasn't standing there, _of course he wasn't. Why would he?_ Percy coming to speak to me, telling me he made a mistake, asking me to take him back, him kissing me...

It had all been a dream. I felt the disappointment like a physical blow.

I closed my eyes and prayed to every god that I would be able to slip back into that dream. I didn't care if I knew I would feel even worse later, I simply wanted to escape into that world for a little longer. The dream was so vivid I could almost feel him arms around me.

For a moment I thought it had worked, I could feel the dream pulling me back under, and then the ship rocked. My eyes shot open and I groaned. I was awake now. There would be no way for me to get back to sleep again. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my back.

I felt a movement beside me before something wrapped around my waist. I felt something pull me towards it and I panicked. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my sword. I had raised the blade to attack before the figure even finished sitting up.

In my haste to grab my weapon the sheets had ended up tangled around the creature. I had just taken a step to dismember the being when I saw a tanned arm escape the tangles. I froze as I saw a second arm emerge followed by a head of black hair and a very distinctive pair of sea-green eyes.

I felt my jaw drop, "Percy? What are you doing here?"

The son of Poseidon looked surprised and embarrassed. His eyes flashed to mine before they returned to the blade in my hands. I realized that my sword was still held in attack position and I lowered the blade.

His eyes flashed to mine and embarrassment became his dominate expressions. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... we were... and then you were sleeping... I didn't want to wake you..." He bit his lip and looked down in guilt. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry."

_Last night really happened!_ I felt as though my heart was about to take flight. I wanted to throw myself into his arms. I took a step towards him and he looked up at me in fear. I was confused for a second before I realized that I was still carrying my sword. I quickly put in back down.

I looked at him and saw that Percy still looked guilty. "I... I should go."

"No!" I blushed. _That came out with a lot more passion than intended..._ "It's fine. You can stay. I just didn't know you were here. Having someone other than me in my bed was a little shocking, that's all." His guilt faded but he still looked very embarrassed. I didn't know what to say to help him so apparently my brain decided to blurt out the most embarrassing thought it could find. "I thought last night was a dream."

He looked up at me in surprise and I wanted nothing more than to slip into the nearest shadow. _Is this how he feels when he says something idiotic? How does he not die of embarrassment?_

Percy smiled as he finished de-tangling himself from the blankets. He stood up and pulled me into a hug. I wasn't used to physical contact but if it was Percy, I would happily accept it.

I felt my blushes darken and I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me even closer and I smiled in contentment. I could smell the slight scent of the ocean on his shirt. My brain suddenly wondered if that meant that I would smell like death. I certainly hoped not...

"As long as you thought it was a dream and not a nightmare." Percy pulled back and smiled at me.

I looked down to hide my face before I remembered what he had said about me blushing. I looked up at him from under my bangs and I saw him lick his lips, "Definitely not a nightmare."

Percy laughed and looked down at me. I watched as his blush darkened and he bit his lip. He looked nervous as he leaned down towards me. My eyes grew bigger as he lightly brushed his lips against mine. He pulled back and I smiled at the son of the sea god. I pulled him back down towards me so that I could kiss his cheek. Percy smiled and pulled me against him. I had no idea how long we stood there, simply holding each other. I wasn't sure what he was thinking but I had never felt so content in my life. I probably wouldn't have moved if it hadn't been for Percy's stomach growling.

I looked at the son of the sea god and he blushed. I started to laugh. "Guess it's time to feed my sea-prince. Come on." I tentatively took his hand and pulled him to the door. I looked over my shoulder to see Percy smiling at me.

I forced a blush away and looked down the hall. It was hard to accept that this was really happening. I had wanted him for so long, and he was finally mine.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

The two of us were the last ones to the mess hall. Ryan and Frank were on deck. When Nico and I entered the dining room holding hands Jason burst out in laughter.

"So that's where the two of you were." I felt a blush on my cheeks, "About dam time Percy."

Nico stood straighter and started looking between us, "Rewind there for a second Grace, you knew?"

Jason's laughter stopped and he looked guilty. "Um..."

The son of Hades pulled me with him towards the table and smacked the golden boy on the back of the head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The son of Jupiter shrugged and gave him a guilty smile, "I did try to make you listen to what he had to say. You didn't want to."

I saw the son of the underworld level a death glare at our friend. "I would have if you had told me what it was about. How long have you known?"

Jason coughed and looked down. "Since the day before we left Ogygia..."

I saw Nico beginning to lose his temper so I stepped forwards and wrapped my arms around his waist. He stiffened for a moment before he glanced back at me. He sighed and leaned into my chest. "Fine, I will forgive you this time."

I was rather confused by the conversation. I couldn't understand why Nico was so mad. It had only been two days. I could tell that Nico had forgiven me but I couldn't understand as to why he thought that Jason should have told him.

I contemplated asking him and decided that I would save the question for later.

I kissed the top of Nico's head and pulled him towards two of the empty spots at the table. We sat down and ordered some food. I felt a touch of home sickness as the blue pancakes appeared on my plate. I started to think of my mom.

I wondered what she would say when she learned that I was dating Nico. I knew that she wouldn't care that he was a guy. All she would care about is whether or not I was happy.

She loved Nico. Even though he had only come by a few times she thought that he was very polite and sweet, though she did think he was too skinny. Every time he would come over she would continuously bring him food. I smiled at the memories; I really did have the greatest mom.

I was on my third pancake before I realized that Hazel was glaring at me. I stopped eating and looked up at her.

"What's wrong Hazel?" Who knew that the usually sweet tempered girl had a death glare that could rival her brothers?

"Percy, I am only going to ask you this once, so be honest with me... What are your intentions towards my brother?" I felt my jaw drop.

_Is this really happening right now...?_

I blinked and shook my head. Sure enough I really wasn't dreaming. I felt a blush start to creep up my cheeks.

Her brother glared at her. "Hazel, drop it." The daughter of Pluto turned her glare on her half brother and after a few second Nico backed down. He sighed and looked at her with a saddened expression. "Please Hazel... let it go."

I hated the heartbroken expression on Nico's face. I had a feeling that he was worried about what I would say. The knowledge that I was once again hurting the son of the underworld felt like a knife to the chest. I knew what I had to do.

"It's fine Nico. I don't mind answering; she just took me by surprise." The brown eyed boy looked at me and bit his lip. I smiled at him before I looked at his sister. "I can understand why you don't trust me with your brother. I was an idiot and I hurt him, I took him for granted and I will never forgive myself for that. I can't promise that I won't screw up, because I tend to do stupid things, but I can tell you this... I would never do anything to intentionally hurt him and I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. I love him."

I heard a small gasp beside me before I remembered that I hadn't told Nico the extent of my feelings for him, I hoped that I hadn't freaked him out. I glanced at him and rather than seeing him giving me a disturbed look, I saw him looking at me in wonder. I felt my breath catch in my throat.

I had never seen him look as beautiful as he did in that moment. I saw a faint blush stain his cheeks and his lips were parted in a smile. The way the light was sparkling on his eyes made him look positively angelic.

The way he was staring at me made me feel like I was the only person in the entire world. I felt a smile spread across my own face in response. I leaned my forehead onto his and closed my eyes.

An awkward cough brought me back to the present. I looked across the table to see Jason clearing his throat. Piper with her hands clasped beneath her chin was looking at us like we were the cutest thing she had ever seen. I felt myself blush as I looked back at Hazel. She looked at me and sighed.

"Well I guess there's not much I can say to that. I can see that you make him happy and you clearly love him." She shook her head and gave us a small smile. "You really do look cute together."

I started to laugh and Nico covered his face with his hands and leaned into my chest to hide his embarrassment.

She smiled at her usually stoic brother acting so emotional. "You had better be good to him."

I put my arm around the son of Hades and nodded at his sister. "I will do my best."

"You're Percy Jackson, you're best is good enough. But remember, if you do end up hurting my brother it's not me you have to answer to, it's our father."

I paled at the thought. _Gods I hope he doesn't send me to the fields of punishment for dating his son..._

Jason laughed, "Alright. Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to talk to you guys. We have to pass near Camp Jupiter on our way back to Camp Half-Blood. Frank wants to stop in to check on how things are going. He is technically their Praetor. Now that camp is rebuilt he will have to go back soon. Do any of you guys mind a day trip to New Rome?"

I smirked, "That depends, are they going to shoot us down if we fly the Argo into the city?"

Jason smiled, "I've already cleared it. The Romans won't shoot at us as long as we don't shoot at them."

I winced, "I'm pretty sure that was the deal last time as well..." I looked down at Nico who had uncovered his face and was looking at the son of Jupiter.

The son of the underworld shrugged. "I don't mind. I'm sure that you and Hazel would like to go visit everyone."

I didn't mind the thought of seeing New Rome again either. I missed it, and I wouldn't mind spending some time with the son of Hades away from the Argo. I smiled at the son of Rome. "Alright I'm in."

Jason turned his smile on his girlfriend, "What do you say? Can I show you around my other home?"

Piper smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Sounds good to me."


	37. Chapter 37

**Sorry for the long delay. I was feeling lazy the last two days. Hope you enjoy this incredibly cute and fluffy Percico chapter. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

Being allowed to bring the Argo two back into Camp Jupiter showed just how far our camps had come in trusting each other since the war. We were allowed to keep the ship hovering over New Rome just as we had the last time we had been there.

I climbed down the ladder and waited for Nico to join me. It was amazing just how much my life had changed in the last six months. It felt like a millennium had passed since I had first crossed Little Tiber while carrying Juno. So much had happened since then.

I shook my head and looked around. It always amazed me how a place can look the exact same and yet feel so different. The last time I had been to New Rome was when I was force to flee. The city had been ready to kill all seven of us on the spot, now it seemed the entire population had turned up to greet five of the remaining members of our quest.

Nico was the last off the ship and came to stand beside me. He looked a little uncomfortable. I was sure that he was remembering the reactions of the Romans when they had found out that he had known about the Greek camp the entire time. They weren't mad per say but they definitely weren't pleased. I smiled at the son of the underworld and took his hand.

He was a little surprised but he didn't pull away. Nico looked out at the gathered masses, blushed, and looked down. I chuckled and squeezed his hand. For such a tough warrior it was incredibly easy to make him blush.

After we got the greetings out of the way, Romans were really sticklers for formalities, we all split up.

Frank and Jason went off to work. After the death of Reyna, Jason was once again named Praetor. They had offered the job to me as well but I had no interest in it. Jason was great at what he did and I refused to take that away from him. Hazel decided to take Piper and Ryan on a tour of New Rome. Neither of them had ever really been there before so Hazel agreed to show them around. Hazel had asked me if Nico and I had wanted to tag along but I declined. We had all agreed to meet up for dinner.

I pulled Nico down one of the roads and away from the crowds. I loved New Rome, but it was always so much busier than Camp Half-Blood. "So what would you like to do today my ghost king?"

The son of Hades looked up at me with a smile on his face. "I'm up for anything. What do you want to do?"

I frowned and shook my head. "I don't really know. I didn't actually spend all that much time here. I was here for a few days total; most of my time was spent on the quest to free death." I tilted my head and tried to think of something that he would like to do. I caught sight of the coffee shop that Hazel had brought me too on my first day. "I know what we should do, come on..." I gave a light tug on Nico's hand and pulled him along.

We entered the little shop and I smiled. It reminded me of a small coffee shop that my mom used to take me too once in a while. It had tables inside and on the patio as well as a few small couches at the back of the shop. I asked him to find us a table while I grabbed us both a hot chocolate and a muffin. When our order was ready I found Nico at the back of the coffee shop on a couch in front of their fire place.

I smiled as I went and sat beside him.

"Here you are," I placed the food on the coffee table in front of us.

"Thanks," Nico smiled at me and picked up his muffin. He took a bite and then started to laugh, "Blueberry? Why am I surprised?"

I felt myself blush, "What's wrong with blueberry muffins?"

The son of Hades shook his head and kissed my cheek, "Absolutely nothing. You're so adorable sometimes, do you know that?"

I smirked and put my arm around him. "I've been told." I reached my free hand out and stole a piece of his muffin.

Nico laughed and pulled the pastry away, "Hey, eat your own. This is mine."

I leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips as I stole another piece. I winked as I ate the morsel. "But yours tastes better."

He pulled back and sent me a fake glare before he burst out laughing once more.

I loved seeing him act like that. He was so serious and sad most of the time. It pleased me to no end that I could make him laugh.

We ended up splitting both of our muffins. Even if they were the same kind, it was just too much fun stealing bites from each other to eat our own. We ended up spending a few hours in the coffee shop just cuddling in front of the fire and chatting.

He was leaning his head on my chest and I had my arms wrapped around him. He asked me about the mechanical spiders and I told him the story about the time that Ares had sent Grover, Annabeth, and myself on a quest to get his shield.

"So that's why you hate the god of war so much."

I shrugged, "Ya, that's one of the reasons, also because he tried to frame me for the theft of the master bolt. He's kind of just a jerk."

Nico glared at the nearly empty cup in his hands. "I don't really blame you for disliking the guy."

The way he was glaring at the cup I could tell that he was angry with the god on my behalf. It made me smile. No matter how much I went through, he always tried to protect me. It was adorable. Both of us were more than able to protect ourselves and yet we always watched out for each other as well. I tightened my grip on the beautiful boy in my arms.

"Forget about him. I'm sure we can find better things to do than discuss the god of war." I finished the last sip of my drink, "So, do you want to get another one or do you want me to show you my favorite place in New Rome?"

Nico looked up at me and smiled. "Let's go."

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

We walked up the hill where the Romans had their temples.

We decided to make a quick stop at the shrines of Neptune and Pluto. They may have been called temples but they were more like sheds. The temples to our dads were some of the smallest ones there.

It surprised me how unkempt the two temples had become. We ended up spending more time than we had expected cleaning them up. Neither of us wanted leave their shrines in that state. Our fathers may have been two of the most powerful Olympians, but the Romans feared them and so they didn't treat their temples as well as they did some of the lesser gods. Percy had though ahead and had bought some extra muffins to leave as a sacrifice.

After the temples were cleaned we continued on our way up the hill. I had no idea where he was leading me but it looked like he was taking me to the temple of Jupiter. I was rather confused by that. Zeus and Percy had never really gotten along very well. In fact Zeus had tried to kill him on several occasions. I shrugged off the thought and continued walking beside the son of Poseidon.

Eventually we passed all of the other temples until the only one left above us was the temple of Jupiter. I had been there before and thought it was nothing interesting but if Percy wanted to show it to me, than I would let him.

I was about to go inside when he turned me around and pressed my back to his chest. I looked up at him and saw him looking out over the valley.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

As clichéd as it felt my first thought was _yes, you are._ I coughed to dispel the thought and looked out. I gasped a little at the view. I could see the entire city spread out before us. In the light of the early evening the entire city seemed to glow. "Wow..."

Percy chuckled. "That was my first thought when Hazel showed it to me."

"Hazel showed you this?"

I saw Percy nod but I couldn't take my eyes off the view. I had seen many wonders of the world but the view of New Rome made me feel as though I had stepped back in time to the age of the gods.

I was not entirely sure how long we had stood at the top of the hill holding each other and admiring the view. Eventually I started to get a little hungry.

Percy must have been mirroring my thoughts, "Come on Nico. We should start heading back. Dinner is going to start soon."

I nodded and reluctantly stepped out of his embrace. We silently started to make our way back down the hill.

I still felt a little unsure about our relationship. Percy had said that he loved me but I had spent so long trying to convince myself that he could never fall for me that it was hard to wrap my head around it. I hesitantly reached out and took his hand.

He looked at me with a smirk and pulled me towards him. I hadn't been expecting it so I stumbled a little. He caught me around the waist and pulled me towards him. Before I could react he had caught my lips in a kiss.

I felt my eyes widen for a moment before they fell closed. I didn't think I would ever get over the surprised feeling I got whenever Percy kissed me. The feeling of his lips moving against mine was making me lightheaded. I reached out and wrapped my arms around his shoulder to pull him even closer to me.

I felt Percy chuckle against my lips and I shivered. Kissing Percy was by far the best feeling in the world. I could have stood there enjoying the sensation for hours but eventually he pulled back so that the two of us could breathe again.

I saw him smile at me and I knew that I had a smile to match. Percy leaned in again to place a quick kiss on my lips before he pulled away. He kept one arm around my shoulders and we continued our walk.

I leaned into his embrace. "So may I ask what that was for?"

Percy smiled and raised an eyebrow at me. "Do I need a reason to kiss my boyfriend?"

I felt myself blush at the words. I knew that's technically what we were but he had never said the word before. I felt my heart beating faster from his simple statement. "No, you certainly do not. You are free to kiss me whenever you want to."

The son of the sea god laughed and kissed my cheek. "You don't want to tell me that, or I'm going to want to kiss you all the time."

I bit my lip and looked down. "I wouldn't mind..." I honestly felt that if this was some kind of dream, I never wanted to wake up from it.

Percy stopped and pulled me back against him, "Alright" He leaned in and kissed me again. It was just a quick brush of his lips but it still set my heart going even faster. "Come on, there's one more temple I wanted to visit with you before we go meet the others."

Percy pulled me to the right side of the street and I gasped at the building. The pink hue to the stones and the roses and dove motif told me who the temple belonged too.

I bit my lip in nervousness, "Aphrodite's temple?"

Percy raised a mocking eyebrow, "Oh come on. Even I know that her roman name is Venus."

I shook my head. "Why do you want to go in there?"

Percy raised his free hand and brought his fingertips to caress my cheek. Every time he did that my mind nearly shut down. Percy gave me a slightly embarrassed smile. "I wanted to thank her."

I felt my eyes widen and my face instantly turned red. "You wanted to thank her?"

Percy nodded and looked down. "If it wasn't for her intervening, I may never have realized how I felt about you... I'm kinda oblivious sometimes."

My heart started to swell when I realized what Percy was saying. I felt my blush get even darker. I pulled on his hand and walked into the temple. She had always been my least favorite Olympian, but if she was the reason that I had Percy, than I certainly wanted to thank her. "Alright, come on. And you are pretty oblivious."

"Hey!" Percy started laughing. I smiled at him and looked around. I found myself taking a step closer to the son of Poseidon. He didn't even ask what was wrong, he just put his arm around me and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry we will be quick."

It was obvious not only by the size of the temple but by the offerings that Aphrodite was a popular goddess in New Rome. We walked towards the alter and Percy dug out his last muffin. He placed it on the shrine and took a step back.

I watched as his face turned bright red. "Ummm... Thank you. If it wasn't for you, well... just thanks."

I felt myself begin to smile. He was so nervous he couldn't even speak properly. I found myself doing something I could never have imagined. I was silently thanking Aphrodite for making me fall in love with Percy, and for making sure that my love for him didn't fade. I had never in my entire life been as happy as I was with Percy.

"Okay, well glad that's done. Let's go to dinner Nico."

I smiled and took his hand. I leaned up on my toes and kissed him. When I pulled back my heart nearly stopped. He was staring at me with a silly love struck look on his face, the kind that he used to get when Annabeth kissed him.

I pulled his hand and we walked towards the door. Right before we left I noticed a stunningly beautiful woman smiling at us. I nodded and clutched my sea prince even tighter.

"Thank you Aphrodite."


	38. Chapter 38

**I apologize for the ridiculously long delay... I was having trouble focusing on this story with the idea for my next one in my head. So I broke down and wrote the first 3 chapters of it. It's called A Glimpse In Mortality, it's a Percy/Apollo story. :-) Anyway, without further adieu here's the new chapter...**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

Dinner was just as busy as I had predicted. The seven of us found a table and spent the next three hours talking with a steady stream of people. We didn't have to move tables even once, everyone else came to us. That was one of my favorite things about New Rome. You could move tables whenever you felt like it. I would never be able to sit with my friends at Camp Half-Blood.

I couldn't stop my eyes from darting across the table to Nico. I knew that he wasn't exactly what anyone would call a fan of large groups but he seemed so much happier and more comfortable then I had ever seen him before. He usually didn't speak to anyone and if he did, it was only people that were in our circle of friends. I saw him talking and smiling at people who even I didn't know. I couldn't help but smile at the progress that he had made in the last few weeks. He was so much more open than he had been in the past.

I tilted my head as I saw him laugh at something one of the Romans said. I hadn't seen him acting this happy and carefree since Bianca died. I was curious as to what had brought on this change...

I decided that I needed to ask him. I could sit around all day trying to figure out what the son of Hades saw thinking about but I would never know for sure unless I asked. I saw his gaze shift to me and I smiled at him. Nico immediately blushed and looked away. I started chuckling to myself. I couldn't help but take pride in the fact that I could make the stoic son of the underworld blush.

ΩΩΩ

Eventually dinner came to an end and we had to leave. The Roman's asked us to stay for a while but the seven of us agreed that Chiron would be nervous enough, having not heard from us in almost two weeks. The plus side of leaving late at night rather than waiting to leave in the morning was that we were able to leave without the ceremony that we otherwise would have had to endure.

We watched as New Rome disappeared into the gathering darkness. I had my arms wrapped around the son of Hades. Nico was leaning back against my chest as we stared over the railing of the ship. He had one hand on the railing and his other hand covering one of mine. I rested my chin on his shoulder and I heard him sigh in contentment.

I was amazed just how much had changed in the last twenty-four hours. Only the day before, he refused to even let me speak to him. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Nico had been willing to take me back. I had expected him to be furious at me for even trying. Instead he completely forgave me and was allowing me to hold him like I had wanted to for so long. It still felt like some sort of wonderful dream.

I tightened my arms around the beautiful boy and placed a soft kiss on his neck. I could feel the unsteady beat of his heart against my lips. I smiled at the reaction and kissed him again. Nico shivered in my arms and turned his face to mine. I felt myself being drawn into his dark eyes as he pulled my head down for a kiss.

Our lips touched and it felt like I was being swept away by the tide. The feeling of his cool lips pressing against mine had me trying to hold in a moan. Nico's body fit against mine perfectly, like we had been made just for each other. Whenever he was in my arms, it felt like the two of us were the only people there. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the case...

I heard someone clear their throat and I broke the kiss to see Piper smiling us while Hazel fanned herself. I felt the blood rush to my face. I had forgotten that Hazel had been born in the 20's. As if it wasn't awkward enough that the two of us had been making out in front of his sister, she had been raised with far more reserved ideas about PDA than someone in our time. I pulled back but kept one arm around Nico's shoulders. The son of Hades seemed just as embarrassed as I was.

I knew that I should say something but my brain did not want to cooperate. I coughed, "Um... It's getting late. We should... you know, go to bed." I nearly grimaced at my own pathetic excuse for a sentence. It seemed that Nico had the ability to render my brain completely useless.

I saw Hazel raise one eyebrow as she glared at me, "Your own beds right?" The way she said it made it very clear that there was only one right answer to her question.

I felt my face brighten even more at the innuendo, "Of course our own beds."

Nico laughed. He squeezed my hand and went to stand next to his sister.

"You didn't sleep in your bed last night..." I watched as Jason smiled and came to stand by us.

Hazel's jaw dropped, "What?!"

I felt myself pale as she turned a glare on me, "That's not true! Well, actually, it is true... but it's not what he's making in sound like. We didn't..."

Jason winked at me, "What didn't you do? I'm just saying that the two of you slept together." Piper started to laugh at me.

I turned and glared at the golden boy as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "You're making it sound like we...you know."

"What are you talking about? Are you saying that you didn't sleep with Nico?" Jason gave me his best innocent look and I had to hold myself back from hitting him. I saw Nico crack a smile.

Before I could even answer, Hazel took a step towards me, "You did what!"

I raised my hands and stepped back from the furious daughter of Pluto. "I swear it's not like he's making it sound! We just fell asleep!"

Jason laughed, "So you admit that you slept with him."

I felt my face reach a new level of red, "Nothing happened!"

Hazel took a step closer to me and drew her sword. I knew that I could disarm her in combat but the look she was giving me made me unwilling to risk it. "Nothing better happen or I swear Jackson; I will curse you."

I nodded in acceptance and she lowered her sword. It wasn't until she stepped back that I realized Jason, Nico, and Piper were all laughing at me. I even heard Frank and Ryan join in.

Nico stepped forward and pulled his sister into a hug, "Don't worry Hazel, I will be fine. Besides, we both know I could take him." I felt my mouth fall open and Nico winked at me.

I dropped my head in my hands and tried not to die of embarrassment.

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I may have been highly uncomfortable with the jokes Jason had made up about Percy and me but I forgave him. He didn't mean to embarrass me. _Plus the look on Percy's face was kind of priceless..._

I lay on my bed and though about the day. So much had happened in such a small time frame. It amazed me that only twenty-four hours previous I had been dead set on avoiding the son of the sea god and not letting him speak up sooner. _If we were already back at camp... _I shivered at the thought.

If Percy hadn't burst into my room I would have avoided him for the duration of the quest. Once we had gotten back to camp, I had no doubt that I would have packed my bags and left. I would have lost my chance with Percy because I was scared that he would reject again. Instead, I found out that he loves me...

_Percy **loves** me... _

I felt my heart swell at the thought. I had never experienced a moment as full of joy as that one. Hearing him tell Hazel that he loved me had been the most amazing moment of my life. I felt a smile creep across my face at the thought.

I could never have imagined that my greatest wish would come true. A love I had resigned to always being unrequited was finally returned. I loved Percy with all of my soul, and he loved me back. There was no greater feeling in the world. I knew that there was no going back. I would never again sit on the sidelines and support Percy from the shadows. He loved me and that was all that mattered.

I found myself far too excited to sleep. I sat up and looked at my alarm clock. It was 2:00 am. I bit my lip and wondered what I was going to do.

I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to go and talk to Percy. It didn't matter to me if we had already spent the entire day together. Nothing made me happier than spending time with my sea prince. I bit my lip and got out of bed. I changed my clothes and tried to convince myself that it was a bad idea.

I knew that it was a bad idea. Hazel would be angry at him. Jason would be making jokes. Percy was probably already asleep. But I really wanted to see him.

I was about to open my door when I had a gut feeling that someone was in the hallway. Like most demigods, I had learned to trust my instincts. I called the shadows to me and used them to feel outside my door. Sure enough I could tell that there was someone sitting on the floor between Percy's room and my own.

I sensed the guard's spirit and tried not to laugh. Hazel had clearly asked Frank to make sure neither of us did anything stupid. I smiled at the thoughtful nature that went into the decision. Not just Hazel's sisterly love for me, but how much Frank cares for my sister as well. He would do anything for her.

I liked the Canadian. He was good to her. Maybe not good enough to deserve her but still, he treated her well. No one would ever be good enough for my sister.

However as much as I appreciated the thought behind it though, I was still annoyed. Fortunately for me, I could travel other ways. I smiled and stepped into the nearest shadow.


	39. Chapter 39

**Woo who... time for a long chapter! I have wanted to write this chapter since around chapter 15 but it wouldn't fit anywhere else. I had to wait until it would seem appropriate for them to discuss things and now that they're in love, I can finally write it. I hope you enjoy this as chapter much as I do. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I stepped out of the shadows and into Percy's room. I hadn't been in his cabin since the first day of the quest. It had gotten even messier than it had been but I didn't mind. I knew the son of the sea god wasn't a neat freak. His father was after all, the god of storms. The fairly messy state of the room just showed his personality. Besides, it was more just clothes on the floor and unmade bed then a pig sty like Annabeth used to make it sound.

Once I was in his room I began to feel far more nervous. What would I do if he didn't want me there or even worse, if he thought I was weird for coming to see him in the middle of the night? I had just decided to leave when the figure on the bed turned his head.

A voice whispered to me, "Nico?"

I hesitated for a moment before I stepped towards his bed, "Hey Percy. I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Percy smiled at me and shifted towards the wall. "No, I was just thinking about stuff. You couldn't sleep either hey?"

I shook my head and tried to slow my heart. He patted the bed beside him and I sat down. Percy put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me down so that we were lying beside each other. My heart was beating so loudly I was surprised that Percy couldn't hear it.

"So what's on your mind my ghost king?"

I smiled and tried to keep myself from blushing. It was amazing how such a simple sentence could make my heart stutter. Hearing the one I loved calling me his made it hard to think. Percy was the only person who could make me do idiotic things...

Like say, "Your ghost king?"

The son of Poseidon shifted on the bed so that I was looking up at him. My breath caught in my throat. He was looking at me in the way he had done so often in my dreams, yet never in reality. Percy's eyes were blazing into mine with both love and passion.

He leaned towards me and captured my lips. The feeling of his mouth moving against mine stopped all rational thought. I was completely swept away by the feeling of his warm lips against my own. He moved his mouth away from mine and began to trail a line kisses down my throat. I shivered at the sensation of his lips on my neck. I didn't think there was anything in the world that would be able to compare to how amazing it felt when Percy kissed me. He lightly nipped at my throat before he pulled back.

My head was spinning from the sensations, though it might have also been from the lack of air. I was fairly certain that I had once again forgotten to breathe.

"Yes, you are mine." The sentence alone would have been enough to make me blush but combined with the breathless quality of his voice, it made me shiver. He gave me a loving smile and leaned in quickly once more to brush his lips against mine, "And I am yours."

I bit my lip and tentatively grabbed his hand, _I am his and he is mine? I can definitely live with that..._

I looked up at him with a small smile. "That sounds good to me."

The grin he flashed me would have put Apollo to shame. "So, I'm sure you came here for a reason."

I looked down and began to draw swirls on his arm with my fingertips. "Not anything specific. I just couldn't sleep and I wanted to see if you were up."

The son of the sea god tilted his head and looked at me. He nodded as he shifted up so that he was sitting beside me and he used the hand that wasn't in mine to play with my hair. "Okay, so... do you want to play twenty questions then?"

I frowned in confusion. "I don't know that game."

Percy looked surprised but flashed me a grin. "It's easy, pretty much you ask whatever you want. The other person has to answer truthfully and then they get to ask you any question."

I tilted my head. I could understand why he thought it was a good idea. It hadn't been that long since I refused to talk to him. I was still a little nervous about what he would ask but now that he was mine, I didn't have the same fear that used to hold me back.

I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "Okay, let's do it. Who goes first?"

Percy smiled. "You can if you'd like."

"Okay," I racked my brain and tried to come up with a question that I wanted to know. I felt my eyes widen as I thought of one. I bit my lip and looked at him apprehensively. "Did you really mean what you said to Hazel? Do you really... love me?"

Percy didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely, I would never lie about that. Though, I am sorry." I could barely hear him. My brain was swimming with the knowledge that he really did love me. "I didn't mean to tell her before I said it to you. That was why I had gone to your room yesterday. I wanted to tell you that I was in love with you. But you started to walk away. I don't know why but somehow ended up kissing you instead."

I smiled at the son of the sea god. He was so sweet; I didn't want him to think that I was mad at him. "You don't need to apologize. It was a very good way to tell me."

Percy chuckled, "Good to know. My turn, do you mind public displays of affection?"

I tilted my head as I thought about it. "It depends. I don't mind holding hands and such but I get a little nervous when there are a lot of people around. I can already tell you don't mind it, so my question is why do you seem to like it so much? You seem to go out of your way to try to hold me or kiss me in front of people."

I saw the son of Poseidon blush. He looked at me and I saw a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "Well to be perfectly honest, I'm kind of the jealous type. You are mine and I want everyone to know it. I'm proud to have such a wonderful and beautiful boyfriend and I want the world to know it. What about you, are you the jealous type like me or are you more relaxed?"

It was my turn to blush. Hearing what Percy though of me had my heart stuttering. I couldn't believe he really liked me as much as he seemed to, "I'm the jealous type too." The thought of anyone touching Percy sent a wave of protectiveness through me.

The son of the sea god laughed, "Well it seems that we are quite compatible. No one understands a jealous boyfriend like his jealous boyfriend." Every time Percy called me his boyfriend I felt a rush of bliss go through me.

"My turn again." I rather liked playing twenty questions. It meant that no matter what I asked him, he would answer truthfully. "Does it scare you that I can summon the dead?"

Percy shrugged. "I will admit, sometimes it freaks me out a little bit. But it's just part of who you are. Everything that you like, or hate, or do affects your personality. You wouldn't be my ghost king if it wasn't for that side of you." The son of the sea god smirked at me, "Besides, it's dead useful."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That was a terrible pun."

Percy laughed, "Oh come on, that was punny."

I couldn't stop myself from smirking, "You should consider a job in stand-up."

The son of Poseidon kissed my temple, "Really? Do you think? Just remember, you're my boyfriend so I will expect you to come to every show."

I faked a shiver of disgust. "I've changed my mind, don't do it."

My sea prince just laughed and gave me a kiss. He smiled at me before he adopted a very solemn expression. "Time for a serious question..." I felt myself still. I had never seen Percy look so sombre before. "Do you like Finding Nemo?"

I blinked for a second before I broke down in laughter. "That's your serious question? Whether or not I like a children's movie?"

Percy adopted a mock offended expression, "I will have you know it's a lot more that a children's movie. It is a beautiful story of parental love, determination, and bravery. It is my favorite movie. I'm just not sure I could trust someone who doesn't love Finding Nemo."

As much as I loved Percy, he could be such a child at times. But I supposed that the same could be said about me. I smiled and answered his 'oh so vital' question. "I don't know. I've never seen it."

The son of Poseidon looked stunned. "Never seen... We have to fix that ASAP. As soon as we get back to camp I'm going to talk to my mom about you coming over for the weekend. I can't believe you've never seen it." Percy shook his head and I smiled at him.

"That sounds good. Now, what was your first impression of me when we met?" Percy winced and looked at me. I felt my heart clench a little, "That good hey?"

He gave me a sad smile and shrugged. "I was thirteen and you talked nonstop. I thought you were hyper and a little annoying." It hurt to hear him say that. I knew that he hadn't instantly developed a crush on me like I had on him, but I was sad to hear that he hadn't even liked me.

"Hey," Percy wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. "I'm sorry Nico. I didn't really know you." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I didn't think that once I started to get to know you. That was just my first impression."

_At least he was honest..._

I sighed and shook my head. "It's alright. You can't change what you thought. I understand."

Percy seemed to pick up on the fact that I wanted to change topics, "My turn. Other than your father, who is your favorite Olympian?"

I raised an eyebrow at Percy and smirked, "Are you trying to get us vaporized?" The son of Poseidon just smiled. "Okay fine, probably Hestia."

Percy looked surprised but pleased. "I like her too, and Artemis."

I frowned at the mention of one of the twin gods. It made me remember the other one. "My question, what do you think of Apollo?"

Percy looked confused by the question. "I think he's pretty cool. He's helpful when he wants to be but he's super conceited." I felt a weight I hadn't even know existed lift off my shoulders. However it made me more curious than ever to know what the two of them had talked about.

"Are you happy that you stayed at camp after the final battle rather than running away?"

I smiled, "You have no idea how happy I am. It was one of the best decisions I ever made." I leaned up and gave the son of Poseidon a quick kiss on the cheek. "So my question, what did Apollo want to talk to you about?"

I tried to keep my voice curious but it came out a little bitter. Percy blinked in surprise before he grinned at me. "Nico, are you jealous of Apollo?"

I glared at the green-eyed man beside me, "No."

Percy started to laugh and gave me a disbelieving look. "Okay, so you weren't jealous." The son of the sea god tried to stifle his laughter. "Well if you were, then I would tell you that there was nothing to worry about. Apollo wanted to talk to me about why he helped us out. Turns out it was a favor to a certain goddess of love."

I frowned, "Why would Aphrodite care about our quest?"

Percy smiled and tweaked my hair. "She didn't care about freeing Calypso, she care about the other lines."

I frowned as I recalled the lines of the prophecy. "The ones about love? But we nearly died because of Apollo."

Percy nodded and kissed my neck. "Indeed. However I will admit if it wasn't for the fact that you nearly died, I never would have discovered how I felt about you."

I felt my jaw drop. "She risked all of our lives for love?"

Percy frowned, "Yes. I don't agree with her plan but she told Apollo that it was the only way for me to 'see both paths' as she put it."

If I had been surprised before, I was stunned then. _I was the new love..._

"Oh... but what does that have to do with Apollo visiting you?" _Not to mention what he was doing putting his hands all over you._

Percy laughed and raised an eyebrow. "That would be because of you." I frowned and raised and eyebrow I question. "Well it seems Aphrodite was ticked that you were ignoring me so she sent Apollo to see if he could make you jealous."

"So you don't have feelings for Apollo then?"

Percy smiled and shook his head, "Not at all. Actually I was quite freaked out because I thought he was coming on to me. I was worried that I would spend the rest of my life as a shrub."

I laughed in relief and Percy changed topics. "So where is your favorite place to go?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know. I like most places I've been but I really liked Venice."

Percy smiled, "I wish I had been with you when the Argo went through."

I grimaced, "No you don't. I was turned into a corn stalk."

The son of the sea god raised an eyebrow, "I was in Tartarus. I would gladly have accepted being turned into a veggie."

We went quiet for a few minutes. I had a feeling that we were both thinking of our trips through the darkest pit of the underworld. I looked over and saw a pained look on Percy's face. I had to ask, "Do... do you still have nightmares about that place?"

The son of the sea god closed his eyes, "Yes. I don't think that they will ever go away. I now have normal dreams from time to time but most nights I still dream about being down there."

I nodded. I hated thinking about it but I had a feeling that it would help to talk to someone else who had gone through the deepest pit of hell, "Me too. I... I thought because I was a child of the underworld that I could do it but... I was weak."

Percy looked at me in shock and shook his head. He pulled me up so that I was sitting on his lap. "Don't talk like that Nico. You were incredibly brave. You survive Tartarus on your own. I know what it was like down there. Even with..." Percy sighed and shook his head. "I barely made it through. I would have died on my own."

We were silent for a little longer before Percy spoke again. "Do you want to know what the worst part was? When we went to get the death mist, I nearly killed a goddess because she wanted to kill us. I was going to do it. The only reason that I didn't was because I looked at Annabeth, and she was looking back at me like I was a monster... In a place full of the worst monsters in the universe, she still thought that I was a fiend."

I leaned my head on his chest and kissed his neck. "It's okay. You did what you had to do to survive. There was nothing else that you could have done."

The son of the sea god buried his face in my hair for a moment before he let out a pained sigh. "What was the hardest part of the trip for you?"

I winced, "Everything was painful. The part that hurt the most though was when I was stuffed in the jar. At first I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine, that someone would save me. Then days past and the air got stale, and I knew I was going to die. I had nearly given up hope before you saved me."

Percy winced and pulled me even closer. His grip was beginning to get almost painfully tight but I didn't mind. Both of us needed the comfort. "I wish I could have been there sooner. When we opened the jar and you didn't move... I was so worried for you. I thought I had lost you, I nearly did." Percy looked away.

"Hey, it's fine. You saved me. If it wasn't for you, I would have been dead years ago."

The son of the sea god gave me a pained smile. "I could say the same thing about you. When everyone else had already committed me to die, you found a way to save me."

"I could never give up on you." I needed to change the topic. It was easier to talk to Percy about everything but it was still hard. "So, Marvel or DC?"

Percy chuckled weakly and shook his head. "Now who's asking the childish questions? I have to say, I'm a Marvel fan."

I smirked, "Good. I love DC as much as the next guy but I don't think I could date someone who didn't like Marvel more."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "So you would have left me if I had said DC?"

_You could have said 'what are those' and I wouldn't have gone anywhere..._

"Well you answered correctly so you will never have to worry about that."

Percy laughed and rested his chin on my head. It was absolutely Elysium to be held like that by the one I had wanted for so long. "I'm glad you feel that way. It's my turn. Why did you forgive me?" I pulled away from the hero of Olympus so that I could see his face. "Don't get me wrong, I am happy that you did. I was a jerk and I certainly didn't like having you mad at me. I'm just curious as to why you forgave me."

_What does he mean forgive him? He thought I was mad at him? Hurt yes, but not mad. I mean he should know why, I..._

I felt my eyes widen. I couldn't believe it but I looked back through the conversations we had and realized I had never said it. I felt my face heat up as I realized that I would actually be able to tell him what I had wanted to say for so long. I felt the nerves starting to flutter in my stomach. I had kept it a secret for so long and now I had to admit it. I didn't think that I would be able to simply tell him straight out. I took a deep breath.

I looked up at him and bit my lip, "Percy?" He tilted his head and looked at me in confusion. I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him towards me.

I pressed my lips to his and tangled my fingers in his hair. It didn't matter how many times we kissed, it still drove me insane. I flicked my tongue out to taste his lips. I felt his body shiver beneath mine. He opened his mouth so that I could deepen the kiss. I felt his tongue brush against mine in a silent request for control and I willingly gave it to him.

While his tongue explored my mouth his hand explored my back. The feeling of his strong hands tracing my sides had my heart racing. He did something with his tongue and I couldn't stop the moan of pleasure that was ripped from me. Upon hearing the sound his fingers clutched me harder and I shivered.

I had to break away for air. I looked up into his eyes and my heart contracted. He was looking at me with so much love in his eyes; I found the courage to admit the secret that I had held in my heart for so many years...

"I love you Percy."


	40. Chapter 40

**Ask and you shall receive. :-) I do read your reviews. Hope you enjoy.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

For one moment neither of us moved. I was nervous that the secret I had hidden for so long had finally be revealed. I watched as Percy's jaw dropped and he froze. I felt my heart stop.

_What if he wasn't ready to hear me say it? He said he loved me but what if he changed his mind? What if he runs away? What if..._

Before I could really start berating myself over the possibilities, Percy's arms tightened and he pulled me back against his chest. He caught my lips in a heated kiss. I felt his fingers tangle in my hair as he pulled me even closer to him. It was as though the few millimeters that separated us from one another were simply too much distance for him. I was drowning in the sensation of his lips against mine by the time he finally pulled away.

Any worries that I had about confessing went out the window when I saw the way he was looking at me. His expression was one of pure love and joy. He gently brushed his fingers against my cheek and I shivered at the feeling. Every time he did that he made me feel as though I was the most beautiful and precious thing he had ever seen. He kissed me once more before he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Nico, you have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that."

Considering how long I had waited to hear the same words from him, I knew exactly how he felt. "I might have an idea."

Percy flashed me his 100 watt smile, "Will you say it again?"

I couldn't keep the blush from my face. "I love you my sea prince."

Percy leaned forward until I could almost feel his words on my lips. "I love you too my ghost king." He closed the remaining distance between our lips and stole a slow, fiery kiss.

I felt my heart go into over drive. It was the first time that he had ever said the words to me. He had said them to Hazel about me, but never actually to me. I was so incredibly elated. It felt as though my heart had grown wings. I had thought hearing him say those words to Hazel had been the best moment of my life, but hearing him say them to me was a thousand times better.

ΩΩΩ

Eventually we ended up simply laying on his bed in each other's arms. My head was on his chest and one of his arms was around my shoulders while the other played with my hair. I was blissfully content. I was quite at ease with the thought of never moving again.

I felt the son of Poseidon shift a little underneath my head and I looked up at him. The look on his face made it quite obvious that he was trying to decide whether or not to say something.

"What's wrong Percy?"

He blinked at me and gave me an innocent look. "What are you talking about?"

I rolled my eyes and turned so that it would be easier to see him. "I can tell that you want to say something. What is it?"

He bit his lip and looked away. "It's fine. I don't even know if I want to know. I can always ask you another time."

I felt myself frown slightly. _What exactly is it that he doesn't want to know?_

"Whatever it is, you can say it Percy. You can always ask me anything."

The son of the sea god glanced at me before he decided to focus his attention on playing with my hair. "Like I said, I'm not sure if I want to know. I already told you I'm the jealous type and I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't like the answer."

I was completely lost. What would Percy have to be jealous of? I tried to keep silent in hopes of making him tell me what he was talking about but I broke down before he did. "Now you've made me curious. Please tell me?"

Percy looked into my eyes and blushed. He cleared his throat and glanced away. "Well I was just wondering... I mean I overheard you and Jason talking a few days before we left for the quest. It wasn't intentional... I didn't even know you were with him. I had actually gone looking for Piper and I was told that she was with Jason." He was babbling which meant he was nervous. Percy glanced at me but I was completely lost. "The two of you were in the woods..."

I felt my eyes widen. I remembered the conversation. It had been when I was telling the son of Jupiter about Percy kissing me. I winced. I could only imagine what he overheard. The golden boy was anything but pleased with him. I was surprised he wasn't talking to Jason about it. Maybe he thought that I should have said something to defend him?

I vaguely wondered if I should have been mad at him for eavesdropping but he had already said it was an accident.

I glanced nervously at the son of the sea god. "I heard you say... that you were in love with someone. But that she would never love you back..." Percy looked at me and bit his lip, "I was just... wondering who she was? Do you still have feelings for her?" I felt my jaw drop open.

I couldn't help it, I started to laugh. Percy was clearly not expecting my reaction. He looked surprised for a moment before he started to frown. "I don't see what's so funny."

If anything, his reaction made me laugh harder. I couldn't believe how adorable he looked when he was pouting. He looked like a puppy that had just lost his toy.

I felt tears of laughter spring to my eyes. Of all the things that Percy could have heard, I had never seen that coming. I knew exactly what he would have overheard. He had clearly just come upon the very end of our conversation.

I tried to speak through the laughter. "Percy... I never said... it was a girl..." I had to stop to try to regain my breath.

I saw Percy's eyes widen in realization. "So you're in love with a guy?"

I blinked and shook my head in disbelief. "Yes he's a guy."

Percy frowned, "Do I know him?"

"Holy Hades you're oblivious. Yes you know him Percy. You know him very well in fact..."

Percy sat up a little bit and looked at me in shock. I was nearly positive that he had finally figured it out. "It's... its Jason isn't it? You're in love with him. That's why the two of you are so close."

I felt like smacking my head on the wall. _Swing and miss..._ "No Percy. I am not now, nor have I ever been in love with Grace. There's only one person that I've ever loved, and that is you."

The son of the sea god looked shocked. "Me? But we weren't... we were still pretending. Why would you be talking to him about me?"

I bit my lip and looked down. _Well, I suppose this is the moment of truth._

"Percy, I've been in love with you for a long time."

He shook his head. His confusion was obvious. "I don't understand. You always avoided me. I thought that you hated me. How could you like me?"

"I didn't want to tell you. I wanted to keep it a secret."

He frowned, "Why not? Why wouldn't you just tell me?"

I cleared my throat and looked down. "I... I didn't think I stood a chance with you. I mean, you had Annabeth. I didn't want to scare you away. I thought that if you knew, you would avoid me."

Percy frowned and wrapped his arms around me. "I would never avoid you. You've always been my friend Nico. Nothing would have changed that."

I leaned into the embrace, "I know that now but I didn't know it then. I was certain that no one could accept me."

Percy kissed my forehead. We were silent for a minute before he spoke, "How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you known about your feelings for me?"

I felt my cheeks heat. "How long have I had feelings for you or how long since I realized that I was in love with you?"

"Both."

I reached out a hand and started picking at his comforter. I was strong enough to tell him the secrets that I had always kept hidden, but not strong enough to look at him while I did so.

"I have had feelings for you since the day I met you, when you jumped in front of Bianca and me to save us. It's funny; I didn't even know you were the son of Poseidon. Yet my very first thought was that you were like one of the great Greek heroes sent to protect us. I thought you were the most beautiful thing in the entire universe." I risked a quick glance at Percy and I saw him blushing. "I realized that I was in love with you when you came back from the quest and told me my sister had died. Even though I was furious and blamed you for her death, when the skeletons attacked I couldn't let them hurt you. Yet that only made me angrier. But I never hated you, even though I wanted too. I hated myself because I couldn't ever hate you."

I felt Percy's grip on me tighten. "You've been in love with me all this time?" I looked at him and saw that he looked pained, "Oh gods. Nico, I'm so sorry. I... I never knew."

I shrugged, "I never wanted you to. That was the point."

"Still, I should have known. I wish you would have told me. When I look back, it's kinda obvious. All of those things I used to do that would set you off... I've caused you so much pain. I..."

"Hey," I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. "It's okay. If I could go back in time and do it over again, I would do the exact same thing. Do you know why?" He shook his head. "Because I know that all that pain was worth it. I have you and that's all I've ever really wanted."

Percy bit his lip before he pulled me into his chest. I felt him bury his face in my hair. "I love you so much Nico. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."

I smiled and kissed his neck, "I love you too Percy and you were more than worth the wait."

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I woke up when the sun hit my face. I glanced at the clock and realized I had over slept. I was supposed to be on deck in fifteen minutes. I groaned and grudgingly got up.

Nico had stayed in my room talking with me till well after 5:00 am. I hadn't really wanted him to leave but he told me that Frank was in the hallway and I didn't want to cross Hazel if she decided to check on Nico in the morning.

I quickly got dressed and grabbed a bit to eat in the mess hall before I headed up on deck. I was wishing that I had grabbed a coffee too though. I could have used the energy.

I didn't mind being tired. I was glad that Nico and I had spoken. I had learned so many things, and knowing that Nico loved me made me feel even lighter than air. I had never felt so weightless before. Even with **her**. I had felt happy, but never like my heart had wings.

I smiled at the thought. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Nico really did love me. _I almost can't believe it. He's been in love with me for years. I feel like I could take on the world_...

Nico was standing just outside of the stairwell staring at something. I smiled as I kissed his cheek and turned to see what he was looking at. It was a good thing I was feeling so amazing...

Standing in the middle of the deck were our dads.


	41. Chapter 41

**Yay, double update!**

**Originally I wasn't going to write this scene, but people asked for it so I decided to. I'm glad I changed my mind. I rather enjoyed writing this chapter. :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

Hades looked pissed. His rage only seemed to grow when Percy stepped up behind me and kissed my cheek.

I knew that Percy had seen them when I felt him stiffen beside me. He didn't pull away and I was quite glad. I had been through Tartarus alone but if I was going to face a pissed off god of the underworld, I was glad that he would be with me.

I didn't think my dad would actually hurt me, but I wasn't so certain about Poseidon. He looked just as furious as his brother but the sea god looked disappointed too. I wasn't sure as to which of us I pitied more. I was pretty sure that an angry god would be easier to deal with than a disappointed father.

I knew that the gods were waiting for us to make the first move but I seemed to be frozen in shock. I was immensely glad when Percy cleared his throat.

He took my hand and stepped forward. We gave them a quick bow before the son of the sea god spoke, "Hi dad."

Poseidon looked at his son and he shook his head sadly. "Hello Percy."

I risked a glance at the boy beside me and saw him shifting uneasily under his father's gaze. It was rather obvious that he had already run out of things to say.

I knew it was my turn. I took a deep breath at looked at my dad. "Hello father."

Hades hadn't stopped glaring at Percy since he stepped on deck, "Son."

It only took a few moments in front of the gods for my ADHD to kick in. I desperately wanted to ask them what they were doing on the Argo but I couldn't think of a polite way to word it. Fortunately, Percy never seemed have that problem.

"So, dad, what are you doing here?" I couldn't stop myself from smirking. It always amazed me as to how he had no fear of being incinerated. I always thought that it might have had something to do with the fact that he had probably already pissed off every god on Olympus at one time or other.

"I heard a very interesting piece of gossip floating around Olympus." The god of the sea glanced at me and my heart sank. Any hope that I had about it not being about our relationship went out the window. I glanced at my father but he was still glaring at the boy holding my hand. "I came here to ask you about it."

I had never seen the son of the sea god look as nervous as he did at that moment.

My father finally looked away from Percy and decided to fix his glare on me instead. I had to hide a wince. I was really not looking forward to the inevitable conversation. Hades frowned at me, "I also thought it would be prudent to speak to you as well. Come, let's go and talk somewhere more private."

I felt Percy give my hand an encouraging squeeze before I let go and followed my father below deck.

ΩΩΩ

When Hades opened the door to my cabin I was slightly surprised. I was about to ask him as to how he knew which room was mine before he glared at me. I felt my gaze unconsciously shift towards the door. Any thoughts of escape were wiped from my mind when he shut and locked it.

"Sit." I decided to simply do as I was asked. I had never seen him look as angry as he did then. "So, would you care to tell me what exactly is going on?"

I bit my lip but I sat a little straighter. I had never planned on coming out to him, but I figured that he deserved to hear it from me. I was certain he already knew but I was still nervous. He would have had to be an idiot to not know after he had seen Percy kiss me.

I took a steadying breath and looked him in the eye. "Dad, I'm gay."

I don't know how I had expected him to react but a snort of amusement wasn't it. "What is it you kids say again these days? Oh right... No duh. I'm not blind son. I saw the two of you holding hands. What I want to know is what **exactly** is going on between you and the son of Poseidon."

I was shocked. "Wait, you don't care that I like guys?"

My father rolled his eyes, "Of course not. We Olympians have always been a lot more open to the concept of love than you mortals. I don't think there is a single one of us except Artemis and Hestia that haven't at least experimented with both genders. But they're the maiden goddesses, they've never dated anyone. What gender you prefer is of no consequence to me."

I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion. "If you don't care about who I date then why are you here?"

"Most of the time, you would be correct. I usually wouldn't care about who you chose to be with. Except that you are currently dating the son of Poseidon, aren't you?"

"Yes, Percy is my boyfriend. Why does it matter?"

I would be proud if my death glare was even half as intimidating as the one that my father leveled at me, "Because it's Perseus Jackson. The arrogant, self-centered boy who thinks he is better than everyone else."

I felt myself beginning to lose my temper. "Well you have clearly never actually met him. He is one of the most humble people I've ever know. He never brags about himself in any way. How exactly can you call him arrogant? As for him being self-centered, are you kidding me? I've never known anyone who cares less about their own safety. He would gladly die for any one of his friends. This clearly has nothing to do with Percy himself and everything to do with your prejudice towards your brothers."

I saw my father's form begin to flicker. He was able to get control of his temper before I had to look away. "Remember who you are speaking to boy. I am a god and your father. The son of Poseidon is clearly a bad influence on you. I expect you to break up with him immediately."

I felt my jaw drop. _He is really going to go there? Are you frickin kidding me?_

"I'm not dumping him."

My father straightened his shoulders and glared. "You will break-up with him. That is an order."

I stood up and sent my own glare at the lord of the underworld. "No, I won't."

"Yes you will. I am your father; I know what's best for you."

"How would you know anything about what's best for me? You didn't even know I was gay before Percy and I started going out."

"You are completely over reacting. There are hundreds of other demigods who would make a far better boyfriend than the son of Poseidon would. You will find someone else."

I rolled my eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that I don't want anyone else? I'm not breaking up with him."

"You will do as I say. You are acting like a child. Breaking up with him would not be the end of the world."

"It's not going to happen. Do you want to know why? Because I love him."

"You've been going out for what, a few days? Yet you think you're already in love with him? It takes longer than that to fall in love."

"What about four years? Do you think it's possible to fall in love over the course of four years? Because that's how long it's been since I developed a crush on him. He is the one I want, end of story. You think I can find someone better? Maybe you're right, maybe I could find someone who is better in certain aspects but no one would come close to comparing to him as a whole. Besides, it's not about finding someone better. It is about the fact that simply being in the same room as him make my heart beat faster. It's the fact that even though we've known each other for so long, I still get excited when the two of us get a chance to spend time together. It's about the fact that no one else could ever hold my attention because I've already found my other half. He makes me a better person, one that I'm proud to be. He's proven time and time again that he is amazing, just look at what he's accomplished. He is perfect for me and he loves me. I couldn't ask for anything more. You may be my father but the council themselves couldn't make me break up with Percy."

I was breathing hard from all of the emotions coursing through my body by the time I had finished my speech. My father looked a little stunned. I didn't think either of us had ever heard me say that much at once before.

I watched as his shoulders sagged and he sighed. "Is that really how you feel about him?"

I nodded, "Absolutely."

Hades ran a hand through his hair and gave me a grudging nod. "Well then I guess there isn't much I can say is there. It just had to be him, didn't it?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a small smile, "There is no one else. Not for me at least. I doubt that there ever would have been, even if he had never returned my feelings."

I watched the god of the underworld straighten his shoulders, "If that is how you feel then so be it. Very well, I won't stand in your way."

I knew that I had already pushed him pretty far but I decided to chance it. "Do you promise not to vaporize him or send him to an eternity in the fields of punishment?"

My father raised one eyebrow and chucked darkly. The smile he gave me made me feel like he was planning a murder. I vaguely wondered if that was how I used to look when I smiled. I had a feeling it was. It was rather terrifying to be on the other side of it. "I promise not to vaporize him. However I reserve the right to send him to the fields of punishment. It will ensure that he treats you well."

He clapped me on the shoulder and we went back out on deck.


	42. Chapter 42

**Here's the second half of that double update. I was going to post it as one chapter but it was over 4000 words. lol :-)**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I watched as Hades led his son below. I felt bad for him. Hades was rather terrifying when he chose to be. But Nico had gone through Tartarus alone. I knew that he would be alright. Worst case scenario, the son of Hades was an excellent fighter. I just hoped that it wouldn't come to that...

"Don't worry, my brother may be angry but he won't hurt him. Nico is his only son after all."

I winced. With me worrying about the son of the underworld I had forgotten that I had my own angry god to deal with. I swallowed thickly and turned around to face my father.

I didn't specifically want to talk to him about my relationship but I knew that I needed to.

My father was wearing the same expression on his face that my mother wore every time I was kicked out of a new school. He was disappointed but he was trying to hide it. At least I knew who I got the inability to hide my emotions from.

"Would you like to go somewhere so that we can talk privately? I doubt you want your friends to overhear our conversation."

"We can use my cabin if you'd like."

"Actually I believe that my brother is using Nico's cabin, since it's right next door they would probably be able to hear us. Why don't we go to the mess hall instead?"

I was surprised, "How did you know our cabins were next door to each other?" My father gave me a small smile and raised an eyebrow, "Right, never mind."

I led the way to the mess hall. I held the door open for my dad and closed it once he was through. It didn't really matter that it didn't have a lock. No crew member would want to disturb us and if Hades did, a lock wouldn't stop him anyway.

My dad sat down and gestured for me to take a seat. I hesitantly took the seat across from him.

For a few minutes he just stared at me without saying a word. I tried to stay still but after about five minutes my brain couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So..."

I father sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Do you know why I'm here Percy?"

I bit my lip, "Not specifically but I'm guessing it has something to do with Nico and me."

He dropped his hand to his chin and huffed. "Yes, it is about you and the son of Hades. There are several concerns that I have about this and I hoped you could clarify them for me."

"Oh... What would you like to know?"

My father raised an eyebrow. "First of all, are you serious about this? If you are just experimenting then doing so with the son of the god of the underworld was not one of your brighter ideas. On a scale of poor ideas I would place it somewhere around sitting on my throne."

I winced. "I thought you said you forgave me for that because it made it possible for the Olympians to beat Typhon."

"I did but it was still one of, if not, the worst idea you've ever had. Either way, that is beside the point."

I blushed and met his gaze. "Don't worry. I'm not playing around with him. I really do like him."

"Alright, I had to ask. You've never seemed to show interest in guys before. You're not just using him as a, what are they called now, a rebound guy?"

"I would never play with someone's emotions like that. I would not be with Nico if I didn't truly care about him." I hesitated to say it but I knew that he would keep asking me until I did. "Truth be told, I never really knew I was interested in guys before. I just never looked. I had a girlfriend and didn't see a need to contemplate my sexuality. When Nico and I started spending more time together I realized I wasn't quite as straight as I had always thought I was. Once I did start looking I realized that I found a few guys attractive, not just Nico. But Nico was the only one who held my attention. I love him inside and out."

My father nodded. "What about Annabeth? You say that you love him, but do you care about him as much as you do her?"

I waited for the pain that hearing her name would cause me but all I felt was a small twang in my chest. The pain that I had grown accustom too was conspicuously absent.

I sighed and looked down. "I love her too. There was a time when I thought that she was the only one for me, but that's not the case anymore. Annabeth was my first love and I will probably always care for her. But I honestly can't imagine my life without Nico in it. He is everything I could have ever wanted. What we have together is so different from what Annabeth and I had. When he walks into the room, my eyes instantly go to him. We can spend time together without saying a single word. Just being in the same room as him is enough to make me smile. I never knew that love could be so effortless. He... he told me that he loved me and it felt as though my heart was going to fly out of my chest. I've never felt this way before. I did love Annabeth, I still do in fact, but it's just not the same. Nico is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. He loves me just as I am, he doesn't try to change me. He loves all my little quirks. He doesn't care if I act childish sometimes because that's just who I am and I know he loves that about me. I love him completely."

My father nodded and gave me a small smile. "I can respect that. You really do seem to care about him and if this is where you heart is then you have my blessing. Just know that it will be a painful road. Our world is far more accepting than the mortal world."

"I know, but Nico is worth it." I smiled at him but my father still seemed sad. I didn't understand why but I decided maybe he wanted a topic change, "So how did you find out anyway?"

The look of disappointment that he gave me made me want to cringe. I could always deal with anger so much easier than I could with disappointment. Growing up all my mother had to do was show the slightest bit of disappointment and I would instantly apologize.

"I heard it from Aphrodite last night at the council meeting. She was over the moon about it."

I could hear the hurt in his voice. I knew exactly why he was disappointed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Our relationship is fairly new. We only officially got together the day before yesterday. We didn't really tell anyone. Even mom doesn't know yet."

He gave me a piercing look. "That is the only reason? You weren't nervous about my reaction at all?"

I shrugged and answered honestly. "I hadn't really spent a lot of time thinking about it. I would have been a little nervous but you've always been pretty accepting of everything I've done."

Poseidon looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm glad to hear that. So you have not yet told Sally?"

I winced slightly, "No, not exactly. Um... would you be able to let me tell her? I have a feeling she would be more than a little upset if she found out from someone else."

My dad gave me the first true smile I had seen him use all day. "Yes, I can tell you she would be quite upset at having to hear it second-hand."

I gave him an apologetic smile. "I really am sorry. I should have thought it through. I kind of forgot that Aphrodite would know."

"It's alright, I forgive you. But you should make sure to call your mom soon."

"I sort of wanted to tell her in person."

He raised an eyebrow at me. That is your choice but the longer you wait, the more of a chance she will hear it from someone else."

I nodded to show that I understood. I was actually feeling rather good. Our conversation had gone a lot smoother than I had been expecting. I was about to stand up when my father's face grew very serious.

"Before you leave, we have one more thing we must discuss."

I tilted my head in confusion, "Oh?"

Poseidon looked me in the eye and I began to get nervous again. "I am sure that you have heard the basics before but there are differences when you have a boyfriend. I know that the two of you will have questions..."

"Oh, Gods dad no! Please tell me that you are not trying to give me the 'talk'." I raised my hands in an attempt to stop him. I dropped my face into my hands in embarrassment. There were a lot of things I would love to talk to my dad about but there was no way that I could listen to him talking about sex.

He started chuckling, "I'm just saying that you are both teenage boys. It's perfectly natural for the two of you to want to explore."

My eyes were so wide that I felt like they were going to fall out of my head. "Oh Holy Hera, please stop talking."

I saw him smirk and raise an eyebrow. "Calling on the goddess of marriage? I hadn't realized that the two of you were so serious. I can talk to her. I am certain that, after all the two of you have done for us, she would consent to perform the ceremony."

"Oh gods..." I dropped my face onto my arm. "That is not what I was saying."

My dad started laughing so loudly that I was certain every person on board the Argo could hear him. I couldn't help but join in.

Once our laughter finally subsided he stood up. "I suppose I must be going. I have things I need to do today." I smiled at him and joined him by the door. "In all seriousness though my son. If you ever have any questions, or if you ever need someone to talk to, I am always listening."

I smiled, "I know dad, and thank you. Though in all honesty, I'm not going to go to you with those kinds of questions. That would just be awkward for the both of us."

His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Yes it would be, but I would do my best anyway. Besides, I'm you father, it's in the rule book that I'm supposed to embarrass you by offering."

My father embraced me and I gladly returned the hug. He pulled away and we headed up on deck. Nico was already there and Hades was nowhere to be seen.

The two of us walked up to Nico and I smiled as I took his hand.

My father shook his head. "Aphrodite was right; the two of you make a cute couple. Though, if you ever tell her I said that, I will deny it."

I laughed and pulled my ghost king closer to me, "Thank you dad. It was good to see you again."

My father winked at me, "Remember what we spoke of Percy. I'm here when you need me."

I felt a bright blush rush to my face. No matter how many times he offered, I was never going to my dad for that kind of advice. If I had questions, that was what Hermes invented the internet for.

My father gave me one last smile before he stepped back. Right before he flashed out he gave Nico a pointed look that quite clearly said, _hurt him and you better be afraid to shower..._

We looked away and when I looked up again he was gone.

Nico leaned on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around him. "So how did talking to Hades go?"

The son of the underworld shrugged, "As well as can be expected. He promised not to incinerate you but he said if you hurt me he will make sure to reserve a special place in the fields of punishment for you."

I winced and laughed, "It's a good thing I don't plan on doing that then."

"How did the talk with Poseidon go?"

I blush deeply at his word choice, "Very well. He said we have his blessing."

I looked down and saw Nico raising an eyebrow at me, "What's with the blush?"

I looked at him and decided that I would never, as long as I lived, tell him my dad tried to give me the talk. He would mock me for the rest of time. "Nothing. Come on, I think it's time we got to work."


	43. Chapter 43

**Wow, thanks for all the reviews. :-) I'm glad to hear that you all seemed to like the chapters. So I have decided to write what happened at the council meeting. (That's why this chapter took so long. I'm working on the short story too.) I will tell you all when it's finished. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy...**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I spent the rest of the day trying to decide as to whether I should Iris message my mom or tell her in person. I knew that I wanted to tell her in person but at the same time I knew that my dad was right. If I waited and my mom found out from someone else, she would be hurt. I wished that I could have had the extra time to prepare what I wanted to say but after everything that she had been through, she deserved to hear it from me. Besides, I didn't exactly trust a certain god of the sea not to tell her simply because he wanted me to tell her sooner rather than later.

It wasn't the best day to be so distracted. We had more monster attacks than on any other. By the time the evening had rolled around we had destroyed ten storm spirits, six griffins, and twelve harpies. We had to call Jason and Ryan to come and help us.

I still didn't particularly care for the son of Apollo but even I had to admit that when he wasn't freaking out, he was an excellent shot. He had taken out three of the six griffins by himself. As soon as he came on deck he had taken up residence in the crow's nest and spent the day picking off monsters with his bow.

When it finally came time for Frank, Hazel, and Piper to relieve the four of us I was ready to pass out from exhaustion. A sleepless night combined with emotional turmoil did not put one in top form for taking on swarms of monsters. I couldn't remember the last time that I had wanted to be back at camp so desperately. I was excited to get back so that I could enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet with my boyfriend.

The downside to being off shift was that I no longer had any excuse to put off talking to my mom. I wasn't afraid of how she would react to the news. I knew that she only ever wanted what was best for me. However, I was a little nervous to tell her. I knew that she would be shocked.

Nico came up beside me and entwined his hand with mine. "So have you decided whether or not to call her?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I know that I should, but I'm still nervous..."

The son of Hades gave me a small smile and leaned his head against me chest. "I understand. It's not every day that you have to tell your parents that you like boys."

I frowned and shook my head. "That's not it. I know my mom won't care about that." I tried to figure out how to put my fears into words.

Nico looked up at me with an indescribable emotion in his eyes. "Is it me? Are you worried what she will say when she finds out it's me?"

I felt my eyes widen and I pulled the black haired boy closer to my chest. "No. She loves you; you should hear her talk about you. She thinks that you are the sweetest boy on the planet. It's just... She thinks the world of Annabeth too. She thought that the two of us would be together forever. What if she's disappointed in me?"

Nico scoffed, "That's dumb. I've met your mom Percy. She wouldn't care if you decided to date a god as long as it made you happy. Just because you and Annabeth aren't together anymore doesn't mean she's going to be let down. I don't think there is anything you could ever do to disappoint her. She loves you and we both know it."

I blushed. When he put it like that, it did sound a little silly.

I let out a resigned sigh. "I suppose there's no reason to wait any longer."

Nico leaned up and kissed my cheek. "Would you like me to be there for the call?"

I nuzzled my face into his hair and took a deep breath. "I would, but this is something that I need to do by myself. I owe it to her to give her a chance to ask whatever she needs to ask."

The son of Hades gave my hand one last squeeze before he stepped away. "Alright, then go make that call." I nodded and turned to walk away when he called me back. "By the way, I love you."

I felt myself blush. It would take me a while to get used to hearing that. "I love you too my ghost king." I gave him one last wink as I went below deck.

ΩΩΩ

The sunlight beamed through the open window into the shower stall.

I stood in the bathroom trying to gain the courage to turn on the water. It was silly. I could face down a monster without batting an eye but at the thought of disappointing my mother, I balked. I spun the golden drachma between my fingers and took a deep breath.

"Might as well get this over with," I turned on the shower and threw in the coin before I could lose my nerve. "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Please show me my mom."

The water vapors swirled and I found myself looking at the kitchen in our apartment. My mother was just taking something out of the oven. I couldn't tell quite what it was but I decided that it would probably be best to let her put it down before I called out. Nothing sucks more than dumping boiling hot food on yourself because you were surprised by an Iris message.

I watched her carry the pan to the table. I couldn't help but notice that the table was set for two. There were flowers in the middle of the table. The vase was flanked by two long thin candles. I could just make out the bottle of wine on the edge of our counter. I smiled as I realized that she and Paul were clearly going to be having a romantic dinner.

I felt myself blush slightly at the scene. The table reminded me of the non-date I went on with Nico. I suddenly wondered if my mom would be able to give me pointers when I took him on our first official date...

I shook myself out of my reverie. My mom set down the pan and stepped back. I took a deep breath and spoke, "Hey mom."

I watched her jump a little at outburst. I was glad I waited for her to put the food down. She turned around and smiled when she saw me, "Percy, what a surprise. How is the quest going? Are you alright?" She looked me up and down checking for injures.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. How are you and Paul?"

She crossed the kitchen to stand closer to the message. "I'm great. I just got a call back on my latest book." She beamed, "They want me to come in to talk to the publishers next week. Paul is doing fine as well. He just had to make a quick run to the store. He should be back soon." She looked at me and her smile faded a bit, "No why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

I tried to keep the shocked expression from my face. "What do you mean?"

The look my mom gave me told me that I wasn't very successful. She raised one eyebrow and smiled at me. "I know you Percy. I can see that something is wrong. What is it?"

I bit my lip and looked down. _I guess this is the moment of truth... _I rubbed the back of my neck and met her gaze. "I'm seeing someone."

My mom looked surprised but a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh baby, that's wonderful. Who is she?"

I winced, "Well, actually... it's a he."

To her everlasting credit she didn't even bat an eye. I was slightly nervous she would start questioning me about my sexuality but she never did. Her smile simply grew and she gave me a look of utter acceptance. "Is he mortal or demigod? Do I know him? What's his name?"

I smiled and laughed, "One question at a time. He's a demigod and yes you know him."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense... who is he?"

I felt my cheeks flush with color. "It's Nico. I'm going out with Nico."

My mother didn't look surprised in the slightest. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for both of you."

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head, "How is it that you don't seem surprised?"

She laughed, "Call it mother's intuition. I always had a feeling that Nico thought of you as more than a friend."

I felt my jaw drop, "You knew he liked me?"

"I had a feeling. He always seemed to care about you a little more than one would a friend. I never said anything because it was something that he was clearly fighting with."

I bit my lip. I didn't want to ask but I knew I needed too. "So you don't mind that I'm dating Nico?"

Her eyes softened and she gave me a genuine smile. "There is nothing that you could ever do that I would not support. I don't care if you like boys, especially Nico. He's a sweet boy. He found a way to keep you alive when you fought Kronos. From what you have told me, he is also the reason that you survived Tartarus. I will always be thankful for that. As far as boyfriend go, you could do a lot worse than the son of Hades. He seems to genuinely care about you. That's all I want for you, someone who loves you that you can love in return."

I couldn't believe that I had ever been nervous. I should have known that my mom only wanted me to be happy.

I chuckled softly and shook my head. "You are the best mom ever, you know that right?"

I heard a door open in our apartment and saw her glance at it before turning back to me. "Paul is home. Would you like to say hi to him?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No that's alright. I don't want to interrupt your dinner. Besides, I think I will be coming home for a weekend soon. I promised Nico that we would watch Finding Nemo."

"I love you Percy. Tell Nico that we said hi."

"I will, I love you too mom."

I waved my hand through the mist and dissolved the connection. Now that both of my parents knew, I felt lighter. I smiled as I shut of the water and walked out of the bathroom to go find my boyfriend.

I had to tell him that he was right.


	44. Chapter 44

**So the side-fic I told you about has been posted. It's called A Memorable Conversation. **

**As for this chapter, I based the surprise Percy planned for Nico off of what I did for my fiancée. (Though, I was his girlfriend at that point) The day we moved into our first apartment, we had no furniture. So I improvised. :-) We still have pictures of it. He loved it, so I thought Nico would too.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

It's amazing as to just how quickly people can fall into a routine. Nico and I had been officially dating for four days and already we had established a pattern.

The crew members allowed us to switch around the schedule again so that we were always working together. We would spend the entire day talking about seemingly random, useless things. Truth is, even if the answers didn't really matter, I still wanted to learn everything there was to know about the son of Hades.

Every night, Nico would come to my room and we would spend a few more hours simply holding each other and chatting. Nico had to shadow travel for our evening talks. Frank and Hazel seemed to have taken it upon themselves to make sure we both slept in our respective rooms. Nico thought it was rather ridiculous but I thought that it was cute. I liked that his sister cared so deeply for him that she was willing to lose sleep just to make sure that he acted properly, not that it wasn't occasionally annoying...

Hazel seemed to realize the flaw in her plan on the second night out from New Rome. Nico had only just left when she snuck into my cabin to ensure that I was still where I was supposed to be. Ever since then, the person on guard duty had been sneaking into our rooms a few times a night. Nico had almost been caught out of bed several times but he always managed to travel back to his room just in time.

I was excited for us to get back to camp. Hazel would be heading back to New Rome with Frank and Jason. Once she was gone, Nico would no longer have to sneak around like we were committing a crime. That was one major plus about not having to share a cabin with any siblings.

For once, Nico and I weren't working together. I had switched shifts with Piper earlier so that I could have time to set up the surprise I was preparing for Nico. I dropped the pile of stuff that I was carrying and went about setting it up in the way I wanted to. I felt a little ridiculous but I was fairly certain that Nico would like it.

As soon as Nico's shift ended, both of us had the rest evening off. We had already done our guard duty earlier. I had grown to love the Argo 2 even more than I had in the past. The ship, to me, had become the place where I discovered my love for the son of Hades. We would be back to camp by early tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to create a memory with Nico that would symbolize its importance to our relationship. I gave his surprise one more glance to make sure it was exactly how I wanted it to be before I went off to find my ghost king.

I just hoped Nico would like it.

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

Jason had just relieved me from watch when Percy found me. I was a little upset with him. Over the last few days I had grown used to spending our shifts together. Work never really felt like work when I was spending time with the son of Poseidon. I was a little hurt when I found out that he had switched shifts with Piper. Not only had I lost spending the morning with him as he was on watch but when I came to relive him he disappeared below deck. I didn't want to believe that he was already bored of my but I couldn't completely rid my brain of the thought.

The sea prince leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, "Hey Nico."

I frowned at him. "Hello Percy."

Percy looked surprised as he raised an eyebrow at me. "What's with the frown?" I shrugged. I didn't want to explain my insecurities to him. He blinked in confusion before he flashed me a hundred watt smile. "Are you mad at me?" I didn't change my expression and he took it as a conformation. Percy laughed. "Come on my ghost king, I have something to show you that will make you feel better."

I was more than a little confused but I decided to just go with it. Percy led me below deck. I was walking down the hallway behind him when he turned around to face me.

"Okay, I'm going to cover your eyes."

I tilted my head in confusion, "Why?"

Percy shook his head with a chuckle, "Simple. I have a surprise for you. Don't worry; I will make sure you don't run into anything."

He stepped behind me and wrapped one arm around my waist while his other covered my eyes. I was a little nervous to lose my sense of sight but I trusted Percy with my life. He led me down to the lowest level of the ship.

When we stopped he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "No peaking."

I was tempted to look anyway but I figured if Percy had go out of his way to surprise me, the least I could do was wait for him to tell me I could look.

I hear him moving around for a few minutes before he came back and wrapped both arms around my waist. "Okay, now you can look."

I opened my eyes and I felt myself freeze. We were in the stables of the ship. In the center of the room, on the glass floor, he had spread out a blanket. He had dragged in an empty cooler for a table and used what looked like one of Pipers scarves for a tablecloth. He had brought plates from the mess hall and already had them filled with chicken, coleslaw, and potato salad. I wasn't certain where he had gotten them, but he had placed candles all around the room. The candles cast the room in a soft glow.

It reminded me of the date the Aphrodite cabin had arranged for us. His surprise was completely improvised, yet somehow that only made it sweeter.

I felt a smile creep across my face, "You did this for me?"

I felt Percy nuzzle his face into my hair, "Of course. Tonight's our last night on the Argo so I wanted to make it special. What do you say my ghost king, will you go on a date with me?"

I felt my heart stutter in my chest. I turned around. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him down into a kiss. I tangled my fingers into his hair as I pulled him even closer to me.

Eventually, I had to pull back for air, "I would love to go on a date with you my sea-prince."

The smile that he gave me made me feel as though I was the only person in the world. He took my hand and pulled my over towards our makeshift picnic. We took our seats and he grabbed a can of pop. He winked as he opened it for me, "I found the Hephaestus Cabin's hidden stock of snack food."

I laughed as I took a sip. The cups in the dining hall may have been able to make any drink you asked for but for some reason, pop tasted better out of a can. Percy opened his own can and took a sip before he picked up his fork and started eating.

I took a bite of the chicken and smiled at my boyfriend. "So this is why you switched shifts with Piper."

The son of the sea god looked at me with a slight smirk, "Yep. I knew that I wanted us to have our first official date on the same ship where we got together. I asked Piper to switch shifts and when I told her what I wanted to do she agreed. She even lent me our fabulous table cloth."

I smiled at the thoughtfulness that went into the date he had planned. I reached out and took his hand. "Thank you Percy. This is wonderful."

He smiled as he raised my hand to his lips. He gave my knuckles a quick kiss before he leaned his head onto my hand. "I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier what I was up to. I wanted it to be a surprise."

I shook my head and gave him a tentative smile. "It's alright. I'm glad you kept it a secret. I love you."

"I love you to my ghost king." No matter how many times he said that, my heart still stuttered.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I would have thought that, after so many weeks of talking with one another, we would have run out of things to tell each other. That didn't seem to be the case. There were always a few more questions. We finished our dinner and I grabbed the pillows I had set off to the side. I relaxed against them while Nico laid his head on my chest. I had one arm around his shoulders while I ran my fingers through his hair.

Holding Nico in the glow of the candlelight made me think about our non-date. I was holding him exactly as I did then. It felt so similar, yet so different. At that point in time I wasn't aware of my feelings for him. Even if I had been, I would have denied them. I hadn't been ready to face the idea of being in love with someone. I shook my head in amusement. I could not believe that I had been so blind to how I felt about him. Now that I had faced them, my arms around the son of Hades simply felt right.

I sighed in contentment as I tightened my grip on the beautiful boy in my arms. I felt Nico tilt his head so that he could look at me. He gave me a smile. "What are you thinking about?"

I leaned down and kissed his forehead, "I'm thinking that this is probably the most amazing first date in the history of the world."

I watched as he tried to keep a blush from his face. I wasn't certain if I had gotten better at reading his emotions, or if he had simply gotten worse at hiding them. "I would have to agree with you."

I moved the hand that was running through his hair to caress his cheek. "I can't believe how lucky I've gotten."

He was unable to keep the blush from his face at that. I wet my lips. The slight pink tint to his cheeks made him look especially tantalizing. "Shouldn't that be my line? I'm the one who has been in love with you for years."

I chuckled and rolled us over so that he was laying on the pillows while I was leaning over him. I leaned in and gave him a soft slow kiss. I could never get enough of the taste of his lips. I felt him shiver and forced myself to pull back. I leaned my head into the crook of his neck and placed a feathery kiss onto his pulse point. I could feel his heart beat spike. "Nope, it's definitely my line."

I felt him run his fingers through my hair. He tilted my head up and pulled my mouth back to his. I shuddered when I felt him run his tongue hesitantly along my lip. I smiled as I parted my lips to deepen the kiss.

I used one hand to angle his head while I used my other hand to trace slow circles on his side. I was more than a little lost to the pleasurable feeling of his lips against mine when I had to break for air. We were both panting when we pulled back. I leaned my forehead against his as we tried to get our breathing back under control.

I nipped lightly at his lip before giving him a soft kiss. I opened my eyes to look at him and sighed. "As much as I would like to stay here with you all night, it's getting late."

Nico frowned and pulled me even closer. "What if I'm not ready to let you leave yet?"

I laughed and brushed my fingertips against his cheek. "It's up to you. I will gladly sleep down here if you'd like. However, just remember, if we don't head back to our rooms soon Hazel will come looking for us."

The son of Hades gave me a sad sigh and nuzzled his head into my chest. "I suppose you're right, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

I smiled and stole another kiss before I sat up. "Trust me; I don't want to go either. Tonight was too perfect. I don't want it to end."

I put out the candles and walked Nico to the door of his cabin. He glanced at me and we shared a smile. I knew that we were both thinking of the end of our last 'date'. I leaned in and gave him a soft, sweet, kiss. "Good night my ghost king, I love you."

"Good night my sea prince, I love you too."

ΩΩΩ

I slept in late. I didn't have to be on deck until the afternoon. By the time I finally rolled out of bed and got a bite to eat, everyone else was already on deck. I smiled at Nico as I went to take over the helm from Jason.

I steered the ship while everyone got everything ready and cleaned for when we landed. If we didn't return the Argo 2 in perfect condition we would never be allowed to borrow it again.

Ryan was sitting in the crow's nest on watch when he called down. Everyone gathered on the foredeck to watch as Camp Half-blood appeared on the horizon. We watched as the camp grew larger and larger. Nico came to stand beside me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I put my arm around his shoulder. I was so excited to be back. No matter where I went, coming back to camp always felt like coming back home. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips as I pulled away. I needed both hands in order to land the ship.

We decided to land on the lake. I set the ship down and barely caused a wave, though that might have had something to do with being able to control the water. I sailed the ship up alongside the dock and Jason flew down and tied it off.

I saw the campers gathering at the end of the dock waiting for us. I didn't pay them any mind as I helped Frank to lower the gangplank. We began to disembark. Nico and I were the last ones off the ship. He stood up and kissed my cheek as he took my hand. I walked down the dock without really seeing it. My entire attention was focused on the boy who held my hand.

Which is why I was surprised when he froze with a look halfway between shock and agony. I immediately stood a little straighter and spun my attention looking for the threat. I was so positive that it was going to be a monster that it took me a minute to find what he was looking at.

Standing at the end of the dock, with a look of astonishment on her face, was Annabeth.


	45. Chapter 45

**I had originally believed that this story would be around 15 chapters long. It is now officially 3x that length. This is your heads up for major feels!  
><strong>

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

The world around me froze. I couldn't believe my eyes. After not seeing her for so long, I didn't know how to respond.

She walked down the dock towards me. I couldn't even move. My mind didn't seem to know how to accept the knowledge that she was here. I stared at her in disbelief. I wasn't aware of the world around me. The daughter of Athena came to a stop right in front of me. Before I could even react she had reached out and wrapped her arms around me.

I hadn't even noticed that Nico had let go of my hand...

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

The pain that I felt when I saw Annabeth standing there was a hundred times worse than I had expected. I was hardly even aware of anything other than the daughter of Athena walking towards us and the beautiful son of Poseidon staring at her in complete shock.

She started to get closer and closer but Percy didn't move. I took a step away from my boyfriend. I continued stepping back as she reached out and pulled my sea prince into her arms. I allowed his hand to fall from mine.

I had thought that I had known the meaning of a broken heart, but I was wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for the utter agony at seeing the love of my life, who had at last returned my feelings, in the arms of another.

I couldn't take the pain. I stepped into a shadow and disappeared.

The last thing I saw was her holding him, with no sign of him pulling away.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

It's amazing how something can be the exact same in execution and yet feel completely different.

I had grown used to Nico being my friend. Yet once I realized my feelings for him, things felt different. Holding Nico on our date had been so similar to how I had held him in the past and yet my heart felt like it had grown wings.

Annabeth's arms around me were the exact opposite. They still held me and allowed me to feel the remnants of the comfort that I once found in them, but it was different. It didn't make me want to wrap my arms around her and never let her go. I was happy that she was back and yet, the feelings I had expected to be waiting for her were different then they once were. I still loved her, but I was no longer head over heels in love with her. I could tell that the feelings I still had for her would one day fade as well. Our love wasn't timeless like I had once believed...

I tried to dispel the train of thought as I pulled away. I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized that Annabeth had been holding onto me for quite a while. I looked to Nico, hoping that he would realize that I hadn't really wanted to hold her. I had simply been frozen in shock.

I suddenly realized that Nico wasn't beside me. I looked around but I couldn't see him anywhere. I felt nervous. Now that I knew how he felt I was worried that he would disappear. I didn't want him to leave. I looked at Jason in panic and he seemed to understand what I was silently asking. He nodded and then ran off, presumably towards the Hades cabin.

"I missed you sea-weed brain."

I smiled sadly at the old nickname. "I missed you too wise girl." I had so much to tell her, I didn't know where to start. "When did you get back?"

She gave me a smile and leaned up to kiss me. I turned my head so that she only caught me cheek. "Just last night."

I nodded and stepped back. "How was your trip?"

She smiled sadly at me. "Long and lonely, but it was worth it. I feel much better now. I just needed some time to work things out. What's all been going on in my absence?" She reached out for my hand but I pulled it away.

I took a deep breath and met her gaze. "Let's go for a walk."

The daughter of Athena seemed to pick up on my mood. I could see that she knew where this was heading but she didn't want to believe it. She bit her lip and nodded.

ΩΩΩ

We ended up heading to the forest. It wasn't the safest place to talk but as long as we didn't go in to deep we wouldn't be attacked by anything.

There were too many people around to speak freely anywhere else. Annabeth had just gotten back. There were lots of campers who still wanted to see her. Even worse, now that I was back, it seemed as though the camp was waiting for the two of us to get back together. We stopped at a random grove of trees and sat down.

I didn't know how to start the conversation that we needed to have. I was glad when she broke the silence.

"They told me that you guys had left to free Calypso. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you."

"It's okay, Ryan is actually not all that bad. He's arrogant as the day is long but he's a pretty good fighter... when he's not panicking that is."

Annabeth shook her head, "I still should have been there."

I shrugged and gave her a sad smile, "You did what you felt you needed too. You always do."

It wasn't until the words were actually out of my mouth that I realized just how true they were. I had always thought that she was my rock and that Nico was like the tide. She kept me grounded and Nico flitted from place to place as he desired, never doing the same thing twice. I was beginning to see how the opposite was true.

Nico may have physically moved from place to place but his motives were always the same. He was always working to protect and help me. Annabeth had always needed to do everything herself. No matter how much it would hurt either her or those she loved, she would do it. When she had felt unwanted by her family, she ran away. When she felt like she couldn't tell me about the quest Athena had given her, she didn't. When she felt like she needed to heal her mind, she left alone...

Nico was the rock; he was the constant support in my life. If I needed to, I could rely on him and he could rely on me. Annabeth would always feel the need to go at it alone; she would never be able to accept my help. She would always feel the need to do it herself.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

I blinked in shock, my epiphany still fresh in my mind. "That you feel the need to do everything yourself. Even if doing so hurts either you or those closest to you." I winced_. I could have worded that better._

Annabeth glared at me, "What would you have done then?"

I frowned at her, "If it was me, I would have asked you to come with me. I would have gone with you in a heartbeat. Nothing would have kept me from following you. But you felt like you needed to do it on your own. You always do. I understand it's your hubris. You think you can do everything by yourself and so you try to."

She looked away for a moment before she turned back to me, "What about you? Isn't your fatal flaw supposed to be loyalty? The first thing I heard when I got to camp was how you and Nico were supposedly dating."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise before I shook my head. I should have known that she would have heard the rumors. I sighed; _I guess that is my cue to say what needs to be said._

I looked into her eyes and I saw a flash of pain cross her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and I knew that she didn't need to hear me say it. However I felt that she deserved to hear the truth. "At the beginning we were only pretending. Nico and I started going out as a way to stop girls from following us around. After a while though, I... I realized that I had really started to enjoy his company. While we were on our quest I came to comprehend just how deep my feelings for him ran... I love him Annabeth."

She finally met my gaze. I could see tears in her eyes but I knew that she wouldn't cry. No matter how much pain she was feeling, she had never been one to admit a weakness. It was one of the things I respected most about her.

"He loves you too, doesn't he?" I nodded. I knew that no matter how strong she was, my speaking would only hurt her more. She looked away and took a deep breath, "What about us?"

I frowned and looked down, "I will always care about you. You are an amazing person but... I'm with Nico. Now that I know how I feel about him, I could never go back to just being friends. I need someone who not only loves me, but can rely on me too. You could never allow me to take care of you. You would always feel like you needed to do it yourself. I want someone who I can protect and who will protect me when I need it. Nico is that person."

I saw her shaking with the effort of keeping in her tears, "This never would have happened if I had taken you with me, would it?"

I shrugged at her and swallowed around the lump in my throat, "I don't know. Maybe it would have, maybe it wouldn't. I was happy with you, I really was. But I can't turn my back now. Nico can take care of himself, but we can still protect one another. We always have. I just never realized I wanted that until I had it."

I stood up and offered her my arm. Annabeth shakily took my hand and pulled herself to her feet.

I bit my lip and looked away. "I would still like to be friends, you've always been my best friend, but I know that will take time. I just want you to know, just because we're no longer together, doesn't mean I'm not here for you. If you ever need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on, I will be here for you wise girl."

The daughter of Athena nodded. I could tell that she didn't trust herself to speak. I gently tugged her hand towards me and I wrapped my arms around her, "I'm sorry."

I felt her begin to shake. She pulled away and turned around. I watched her walk away until I could no longer see her. I pretended that I hadn't seen the tears streaming down her face. I would allow her to act as if that she hadn't been crying.

ΩΩΩ

I walked out of the woods with my shoulders slumped. I may have no longer been as in love with Annabeth as I had been, but hurting one of my best friends was still agony. I was so distracted that I walked directly into Jason.

I took a deep breath and looked up at the son of Jupiter. He had a pained look in his eye. "Where's Nico?"

The golden boy looked down and shook his head, "I don't know. I've checked the entire camp. I couldn't find him anywhere," He met my eyes and took a shaky breath. I felt my heart plummet. "When I went back to double check his cabin just now... his stuff was missing."


	46. Chapter 46

**This is the final chapter... :'-( I'm going to miss writing this. I had a lot of fun. However, I have other stories that I want to write. Fair thee well my dear readers. I hope that you've enjoyed my story.**

**Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.**

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I couldn't really control the shadows very well. I was in too much pain to go where I had wanted. I ended up in the Poseidon cabin. The pain that shot through my heart at the familiar sight brought me to my knees.

I tried my best to keep my emotions in but I felt the tears streaming down my face. I couldn't do it. I had always been strong enough to survive anything, but being given what you have always wanted most in the world only to have it ripped away from you was a pain that no one could bare.

I couldn't get the image of her arms around him out of my mind. The scene played on repeat, causing more tears to cascade down my face. I couldn't do it. I had to leave.

I forced myself to my feet and shadow traveled to my cabin. I wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. I knew that Jason would probably try to convince me to stay. I doubted that Percy would even notice my absence. It hadn't escaped my attention that he hadn't even detected when I left. I froze for a moment and forced the pain down.

I threw everything into the bag that I had on the Argo. I knew that once I made it too the underworld, I would never be coming back. I no longer had anything that would tie me to camp half blood.

I shrugged the bag onto my shoulder. I looked around the darkened cabin and frowned. No matter how little I wanted to admit it, camp was the closest thing I had to a home. Hades only wanted me in the underworld so that I could help him. Persephone took pleasure in making my life miserable. I had so few happy memories in my life and nearly every one of them had happened at camp. The day I had helped to defeat Gaia and was cheered like a hero, the day that Percy had first kissed me, the beach where we had our non-date...

I winced at the thought of the green eyed hero. I felt my tears begin to pour faster. I didn't have time for nostalgia. If Jason hadn't noticed I was missing yet, it was only a matter of time. I stepped into the darkest part of my cabin and allowed the shadows to pull me away.

ΩΩΩ

**Percy POV**

I didn't know how to react. It felt as though my heart had been ripped out of my chest. Nico couldn't be gone...

"What do you mean his stuff was gone? We just got back, maybe he just hasn't unpacked yet."

Jason looked at me sadly and shook his head. "Percy, I was just there not even half an hour ago. There was stuff everywhere. I went back two minutes ago and it was all gone. I... I think we're to late."

I shook my head. I couldn't accept that. I wasn't going to give him up, not without a fight. I knew where I had to go. I started walking away only to feel Jason's hand on my shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

I looked at him and shook my head, "I'm not going to lose him. If I have to go to the Underworld to get him back then so be it."

Jason looked at me and gave me a sad smile, "Well let's not over react. Nico isn't in the best state of mind right now. Shadow traveling takes focus, I sincerely doubt that he's gotten very far... Either that or he's in China again. One of the two." The way Jason shrugged off the last part of his comment nearly made me laugh. He made it sound as though finding a son of Hades who didn't want to be found was going to be a piece of cake.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I knew that he was right but it was hard to act logically when I was about to lose one of the most important people in my life.

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?"

Jason shook his head, "I don't know Percy. I saw Nico's face. He looked devastated. We need to find him, and quick."

I nodded, "Alright. Let's split up. If he's still at camp, between the two of us, we should be able to find him."

Jason nodded and ran off towards the cabins. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I needed to find him. I refused to think about what would happen if I couldn't...

ΩΩΩ

Two hours later I was feeling completely hopeless. I had scoured the entire camp without finding a trace of the beautiful son of Hades. I had seen Jason a few times but every time I looked at him hopefully, he would simply shake his head in negation.

I left the forest and slowly made my way to the beach. I was out of places to look for him. He couldn't still be at camp. I wanted to leave to look for him but I knew that Jason wouldn't let me. I was fairly certain that I knew where Nico was. If he wasn't at camp then he was in the underworld. I knew Hades would never permit me to enter his realm and leave with my life. For Nico though, I would risk it. I figured Hades would probably let me get to his palace just so that he could kill me himself. If I could get there, I was fairly positive that I could find Nico.

I looked out over the water and took a deep breath to calm myself. Usually simply being near the ocean was enough to make me relax. However today, the beach at camp half blood was only reminding me of the date the Aphrodite cabin had set up for us...

I felt my eyes widen. I turned and started running towards the path. I knew it was a long shot but it was the only place I hadn't checked. I slowed down when I started the path. I tried to convince myself I was just being careful but I knew that it was because I was worried that I was going to be disappointed.

I took a deep breath as I slowly took the last few steps out of the forest.

I looked out over the sand and felt my heart stutter in my chest. Sitting on the beach, curled into himself, was a person dressed in black.

ΩΩΩ

**Nico POV**

I couldn't control my shadow powers. I had aimed for the underworld and ended up at the sight of our non-date. I had tried to stop myself from thinking about Percy but I still ended up on the Aphrodite beach.

I threw my bags to the side in anger and collapsed in the sand. I wrapped my arms around my knees and tried to forget everything that had happened.

I don't know how long I sat there. I knew it had been a while when I realized that the setting sun was casting everything in shadows. My mind was torturing itself. As I listened to the sounds of the surf, it kept playing over ever thing that Percy and I had shared.

I wasn't aware of my surroundings. Which is why when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, I jumped and spun around.

It was Percy. Seeing him sitting beside me caused a new wave of agony to rip through me. I didn't even know I was crying until he raised his hand and wiped away the tears.

I pulled away from the touch. I couldn't understand what he was doing. He had his perfect girlfriend back. He should have been with her. "What are you doing here?"

He gave me a look that seemed to radiate pure joy, "I'm here for you."

I looked away. I didn't want to see the evidence of how happy she made him. I realized that he had probably only come to officially dump me. "What do you want with me?"

He smiled and reached a hand out to my chin. He turned my head so that I had to face him. When he leaned his head against mine I thought my heart would stop. I couldn't understand his actions. He closed his eyes and kissed me. I hesitated for a moment before I decided that, if this was going to be our last kiss, I wanted to enjoy it. I shivered at the feeling of his tongue tracing my lips. I knew it would only cause me more pain later, but I had already made my decision. I would cross that bridge when I came to it. I opened my mouth and allowed him entrance.

There were no words for how extraordinary it felt to be kissed by the love of my life. I never wanted that moment to end, because I knew when it did, I would lose him. I tried to focus only on the taste of his lips but I couldn't. I felt the tears begin to slide down my face.

He finally pulled away. He looked happy for a moment but I his the confusion surface. I took a stuttering breath and tried to stop my tears. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Just tell me what you want."

He frowned and pulled me into his lap. He kissed my forehead and wiped away the tears once more. "What I want? I would think that's rather obvious. I want you... You, you, and only you..."

I started to shake my head. I tried to pull away but he held me tight. He wasn't making any sense. _Why is he here when he should be with Annabeth? I know she wouldn't be happy if she saw how he's holding me. So why is he here? Why would he want me?_

"Why me?"

He smiled and my breath caught in my throat. "Why you?" He started to kiss me with every statement. "Because you're beautiful, because you're sweet, because you're compassionate, because you're courageous, because you're powerful, because you're cute, because you're loving, because you're kind, because you're sexy, because you're fearless, because you are you..."

By the time he finished, I had stopped trying to pull away. I couldn't believe that anyone thought that much of me. I was nothing special. Percy was the hero. I wrapped my arms around him. I still had tears streaming down my face but I wasn't certain as to whether they were tears of sorrow or tears of joy. I tried to keep my hope down but the fact he was with me rather than her made it impossible. I didn't want to misunderstand him. If he wasn't saying what I hoped he was, it would break me.

I didn't want to but I knew I had to ask, "What about Annabeth?"

He gave me a sad but loving smile as he brushed the hair out of my face, "She still means a lot to me, she always will, but she's not you. I love you Nico, and I won't give you up. Not for anyone or anything in the world."

I felt my eyes widen. Before I could start to over think his words, I pressed my mouth to his. I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of his kiss. I felt a shiver race through my body. I pushed him down so I was half lying on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. I completely lost myself in the feeling of his lips.

Eventually we had to break for air but I refused to pull away. He looked at me with adoration in his eyes. I felt my heart stutter in my chest.

I looked down at him and smiled, wider than I ever had before.

"I love you too my sea prince."

I pressed my lips against his once more.

ΩΩΩ

My head was on his chest. By the time I had finally pulled away from the son of Poseidon, the sun had already finished setting. I felt him press his lips against my forehead. "I'm sorry for my reaction Nico. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just very shocked by seeing her. I... I don't really have an excuse."

"You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who ran away."

I felt Percy nuzzle his face into my hair. "I understand why you reacted like you did but seriously Nico, I love you. I'm not interested in anyone else. I have my ghost king and I don't intend to let you go."

I bit my lip and looked down. Logically, I knew that by the fact he was here rather than with her, that meant he wanted me. However, love is usually illogical at best. I couldn't help but be worried that I was going to lose him to her. They had been through so much together.

I blushed, "But you and Annabeth always seemed so perfect together. You fell into Tartarus for her..."

I felt Percy stiffen but I wasn't sure if it was from me referring to his ex or to his trip through the darkest part of the underworld. "I did..." The son of the sea god rolled us over so that he was on top of me, pressing my body into the ground. He raised a hand and brushed the hair away from my face. He pressed a soft kiss against my lips that made me shudder. "But I would do the same thing for you. When Jason came to tell me that you were gone, I was stunned. I knew I wasn't willing to lose you. I started to leave. I was going to go to the underworld and bring you back."

I felt my eyes widen, "Why? Why would you do that? If I had made it there, my dad would have vaporized you the instant you entered his realm!"

Percy smiled at me with a look of love eyes, "I would have risked it. If there was the slightest chance that I could have gotten you back, I would have done it."

I felt my heart swell in my chest. I reached up and pressed my lips to his. I pulled away so that could I look up at him. He really did love me. I didn't know how I did it, but I had won the heart of the son of the sea God. He leaned down and stole another slow kiss.

I could never imagine that I could have ever been this happy...

**THE END**

**Thank you all for reading. I have not yet decided for sure, (though it is most likely) I may be writing an M rated sequel. If I do, I hope to see you there. :-)**


End file.
